Tantalising Cacodemons
by Teasal
Summary: The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals: to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko.
1. Chapter 1

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Teeming with grubby young troops, not a single square inch of the colossal field went without the pained grunt of a soldier. Every man wore the same khaki garbs, adoring patches of dirt and grime that clung to their clothes as clouds of fine dust flitted through the morning quell. The Imperial Training Grounds – affectionately dubbed as the 'dirt bin' – was never without sound in the light of day; spasmodic groans and emphatic war cries constantly entrenched the area with life.

"General Akashi, sir."

Unfettered by the disturbance of a nameless sergeant, Army General Seijuurō Akashi gazed at the furore of men grappling and hauling each other in a bout of hand-to-hand combat.

"Colonel Midorima has requested for your presence in the council room."

Akashi curtly hummed in response, making no indication of any movement. The sergeant shuffled nervously behind him in response.

"I will proceed as I see fit." Akashi responded evenly. He unfolded his arms with subtle grace, the pristine white coat draped over his shoulders fluttering with movement as the elaborate display of embellishments glittered in the sunlight.

"Pardon my insolence, sir, however I was informed that it is an urgent-"

The sharp gaze of a single, glowing red orb was all it took to send an unsettling shiver down the man's spine, the words dying on his tongue as his mouth went dry with fear. Infamously fearless and dignified, esteemed General Seijuurō Akashi possessed a perpetual aura of authority. The youngest to ever stand in his position, his regal presence graced the Empire with fortitude and prosperity; Akashi was a prideful individual who bowed to absolutely nobody.

Without another glance, Akashi stepped down from the wooden podium and silently disappeared into the whirlwind of furore and dust.

* * *

The sparsely decorated council room clamoured with disorder, vociferous threats flying across all ends of the oval meeting table. Though as a commonality, the fragmented display of uninhibited behaviour was nothing less than norm.

"Face the facts, you fools!" A deep, throaty voice roared as calloused hands slammed onto the table "The north-eastern tower is beyond repair. If we go forward with that plan, the losses will needlessly damage our forces!"

A collective response of grumbles and shouts filled the room, multiple voices attempting to talk over each other.

"The only fool here is you, Kasamatsu." Daiki Aomine drawled, his black boots propped up onto the table in a display of undisciplined manners.

Captain Kasamatsu glared in response, daring the tanned male to repeat his words. Fearing another squabble, Ryōta Kise intervened in attempt to placate the enraged man before slinking down into his seat in exhaustion.

"Look, unless supplies start flowing in freely by some miracle, we are most definitely going to crumble at this rate." Major Reo Mibuchi contested confidently, "I'd rather not deal with another supply crisis."

Resisting the urge to repeatedly smash his head onto the table, Shintarō Midorima sighed in exasperation as the meeting broke out into pandemonium. What he had originally intended as a civilised meeting to discuss pressing issues had turned into a lawless jungle session jammed with rambunctious fools. Tuning out from Lieutenant Takao's incessant laughter beside him, he was ready to give up when the old mahogany doors creaked open with a piercing grate.

In an instant, the room fell into a subdued silence.

Poised and composed, Akashi wordlessly strode to the head of the table and flitted his impassive gaze over to Midorima, who promptly cleared his throat and stood up to take control of the meeting once more.

"As I mentioned earlier, there are three pressing matters to discuss on today's agenda." He paused and slid three manila folders towards Akashi, who promptly flicked through them. "I say three, however in the end it all boils down to one. Now that the north-eastern tower has fallen, we are unable to restock our medical supplies in a timely manner. As a result, this month's vaccine has been delayed which has been stirring trouble in the lower divisions."

Akashi tossed the manila folder back onto the table and gazed back up, locking eyes with all twelve occupants who had grown stiff and quiet with his solitary action.

"Who is the person in charge over there?" he asked deceptively calmly, casually resting his head on the back of his left hand.

Captain Junpei Hyuuga stood up to address the question. "That would be Officer Yuusuke Tanimura of Shinkyō, sir. He is currently being held in isolation for—"

"Execute him." Akashi interrupted swiftly, subjugating the room with a stifling silence. His eyes caught onto Major Hayama's fidgeting, the blond male looking as if he wanted to protest otherwise.

"Moving on," Midorima said promptly, "We shall now commence a hearing of suggestions to resolve these matters at hand." Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, Akashi motioned for him to be seated.

"There is no need for that." Akashi began, rising from his seat as he folded his arms. "Lieutenant Takao, report on the situation at the north-eastern tower."

Takao bowed respectfully before opening a thick folder filled with loose documents. "Two nights ago at approximately 0021, administration received an emergency line call from Sergeant Ueno. He admittedly reported that the tower was under attack by a group of unknown assailants from the east flanks during the absence of their commander, Officer Tanimura." He paused, his face pulled into a grimace at the following information. "Upon further investigation, we found that a single foot troop returned from an on-field operation carrying the D-Virus. It is unknown how he contracted it, however we are speculating that the carelessness of upper commandment at the tower is a decisive factor."

He returned to his seat with a bow and Akashi remained silent, allowing others in the room to interject and comment on the situation. Captain Wakamatsu leaned back and scoffed at the carelessness of the inept officers, much to the agreement of the other captains sitting around him.

"Securing the tower," Akashi began, "Is but a trivial matter." He settled his gaze on three individuals sitting to his left; Reo Mibuchi, Kotarō Hayama and Eikichi Nebuya. "You three will lead the Second Extermination Unit and eliminate every last infected being. Captain Wakamatsu, see to it that absolutely everything inside of that tower is burned."

"Even the supplies?" Wakamatsu asked incredulously, swallowing a lump of saliva.

"I'd say the supplies matter not. As long as the tower is secured, we will be able to procure new supply routes." Captain Himuro offered softly.

"Akashicchi, why don't you send us out?" Kise said suddenly, referring to the First Extermination Unit which consisted of himself, Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara. Aomine turned to the side and stared at the blond man as if he had grown two heads.

"Fret not, Ryōta. I have a different job for you." Akashi replied with an unsettling bemused smile. "Shintarō, accompany Lieutenant Takao to the—"

The men sitting around the table slumped into another bout of silence, confusion permeating the atmosphere in the room. It was unlike the young General to cut off his own words without warning. Murasakibara called out to their leader but ceased when he noticed the redhead's sharp gaze settling on the closed doors. The chair legs screeched against the tiled floor as he stood abruptly, joined by the others in his unit.

"What's going on?" Captain Hyuuga murmured, eyes flickering around the room at the sudden tension.

Akashi tore his gaze away and motioned for everyone to sit down, in which they obeyed wordlessly. "Even if you continue hiding, I know you're eavesdropping."

The old mahogany doors creaked open exceedingly slowly; every man aside from Akashi surveyed the entrance with anticipation. Then suddenly, a messy tuft of pastel sky blue hair peeked through the gap.

"Tetsuya."

A smirk crept its way onto Akashi's lips, watching as the boy fidgeted under the multitude of curious gazes. There was no chance of escape now – Akashi made sure to direct all immediate attention towards the supposed intruder as punishment.

"Akashi-kun, I'm sorry for eavesdropping." The boy said softly with an impassive façade. Akashi could vaguely make out the faintest semblance of guilt. "I didn't mean to."

Akashi's closest aides included, all of the high-ranked men in the room watched the unforeseen situation unfold, confounded. The boy was perhaps barely a head shorter than Akashi and had pale, unblemished skin that seemed to glow under the light. His small, delicate frame was dressed in layers of intricate white robes with subtle pink accents.

Captain Hyuuga was the first to emerge from his dumfounded stupor – his eyes almost bulged when realisation dawned upon him. Aside from the sky blue hair, the flowing robes were most definitely official empirical robes belonging to the royal family.

"G-General Akashi, this person—"

Akashi walked around the table and stood half a metre in front of the boy, suddenly looking less than amused. Absolutely nobody escaped Akashi's wrath, and from experience, not even his own parents. The General's next action however, sent the whole room into a frenzy of hushed whispers.

The prideful redhead knelt down in front of the smaller male and reached a hand in between the robes, pulling out a bare, slender leg.

 _"Oi, oi, oi! What the hell is he doing?"_ Nebuya half-whispered, half-shouted. The pointed looks of astonishment from his companions proved that they hadn't a clue either.

"Tetsuya, why aren't you wearing your bells?"

The boy, Tetsuya, averted his gaze with a barely noticeable pout. "They make too much unnecessary noise." _He took them off again,_ Akashi mused.

Akashi heaved a sigh and looked up with his hand still holding the boy's bare foot. They locked eyes and engaged in a silent war for a few seconds, until the boy gave in and reached into the folds of his sleeve, pulling out a thin red ribbon dangling with two golden bells.

"Good boy." Akashi muttered, tying the ribbon around the pale ankle. "You know you aren't supposed to remove the bells when you go outside. What happened to the guards I stationed outside your quarters?"

The boy remained calm as the redhead straightened up again. "They didn't notice me when I took off the bells so I left them behind." _Incompetent fools,_ Akashi added silently.

"Sei-chan?" Mibuchi interrupted carefully, "Who might this darling be?"

The rest looked at Akashi with the same expectation, their gazes alternating between the boy and their leader. With a nod, Akashi moved to the side to allow them a better view.

"I suppose introductions are in order." He briefly met eyes with Midorima, who already knew the identity of the boy. "This esteemed figure is the only remaining member of the royal lineage and the next heir to the throne. It shall do you well to remember the face of the crown prince of our Empire."

When the boy stepped forward, the faint tinkle of bells resonated throughout the room. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Tetsuya Kuroko."

The hollow sound of a plastic pen rolling onto the tiled floor accompanied what was turning out to be a morning of perpetual silence.

* * *

 _Author's Note;_

 _Hello everyone, I hope this first chapter caught your fancy._


	2. Chapter 2

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

They stared at him in marvel, not unlike a caged animal on display at a zoo. The scrutiny of their gazes was relentlessly piercing; they had yet to notice the ire permeating from the motionless boy. Kuroko stared back at them impassively – he was definitely perturbed by the onslaught of attention, but he was never one to wear emotions on his sleeve.

"Pardon my saying," Kuroko said flatly, raising a hand. "But I find the scrutiny of your stares quite rude."

Much to his chagrin, Akashi decidedly abandoned him in the adjoining lounge room, leaving him to deal with three new personal guards and extra onlookers.

"Forgive our impertinence, your highness." Captain Himuro addressed with a low bow. Hyuuga, Wakamatsu, Kasamatsu and Mibuchi mimicked the action courteously. The others appeared to be stuck in a stupefied daze.

"Please raise your heads."

Kise broke out of his dazed stupor and mentally pulled himself together. "Are you really the son of the late Emperor?" He asked, letting out a pained yelp when both Kasamatsu and Midorima smacked him across the head, apologising to Kuroko for Kise's insolence.

"Feel free to act true to yourselves in my presence." Kuroko uttered calmly, his gaze softening just the slightest. "I am indeed of royal blood. However, there is no need to address me so formally. Ever since the last generation of royalty passed away, I have always been nothing more than a public figurehead."

Aomine pushed Kise's head out the way and leaned forward. "How'd you get so chummy with Akashi?" He asked without hesitation, finally being able to reveal the thought weighing heavily on everyone's mind. Despite the rough treatment, Kise too, gazed over at Kuroko.

"Akashi-kun and I have been acquainted for a long time." He responded flatly, secretly finding amusement at their irked reactions to his vague answer. He noticed others in the room fidgeting needlessly with unanswered questions but made a point of ignoring them; he simply wanted to escape from the tense atmosphere.

"Please excuse me, I wish to return to my room." He stood to leave, but stopped when his guards Murasakibara, Aomine and Kise made their move first.

Murasakibara and Aomine flanked his sides while the blond man pulled the door open and waited with an angled bow. Kuroko bit back an irritated grumble and wordlessly stepped out of the room, the bells tinkering incessantly with every step. As they proceeded down the grand hallway in silence, a brilliant thought crossed the prince's mind.

"Ah." He deliberately paused mid-step and pointed a finger ahead of him.

Confused, the three guards followed the path of his gaze and peered ahead. Aomine grunted in confusion and mild annoyance when he saw nothing but an expanse of red carpet and white walls. Murasakibara hummed lazily, murmuring that he too, saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Waah! He's gone!" Kise exclaimed all of a sudden, his loud voice bouncing off the walls. Aomine furrowed his brows and stepped forward with the intention to smack him, but froze midway when he felt something underneath his shoe.

"K-Kuroko-sama is gone!" Kise repeated, panic etching onto his face. "What do we do? Akashicchi is going to have our heads!"

"Mine-chin, isn't that Kuro-chin's bell?"

"What the—! Where'd the hell he go?"

Murasakibara glanced around but saw no signs of the small boy he nicknamed 'Kuro-chin' – if Akashi respected him then he would too. He tuned out from Kise's and Aomine's fit of panic, noticing a familiar red ribbon inconspicuously peeking out from around the corner to their left. The purple-haired giant wasn't too worried about the whole fiasco – after all, he enjoyed a good game of hide-and-seek.

* * *

An involuntary smirk crept onto Akashi's face as he listened to the panic-induced ruckus outside. Colonel Midorima and Lieutenant Takao sat on either side of the General, content with quietly enjoying their tea.

"Merry, isn't it?" Akashi said casually, lifting the porcelain teacup to his lips.

Midorima scoffed at the mirth dancing in Akashi's eyes, feeling the sarcasm roll of his tongue like second nature. "Quite." He replied, unamused.

Sitting opposite to the bespectacled man, Takao held back a bout of laughter and remained silent. On the other side of the door, muffled shouts accompanied frantic footsteps; he could vaguely make out Kise's flustered tone of voice continually calling out Kuroko's name.

"You did that on purpose." Midorima stated bluntly, almost starting to feel sorry for his companions searching for a person they would possibly never be able to find.

Akashi raised a brow and gave him a sideways glance; "I simply allocated them a duty to fulfil, and true to my word, they are doing just that."

Takao cupped his mouth as a fit of chuckles escaped his lips, not noticing the irritated glance Midorima threw in his direction. "That's quite cruel of you, General Akashi." Takao said finally, wiping a tear from his eye. Rather than cruel, it was quite hilarious, really – the trio outside probably had no idea how futile their search was.

"Oh?" Akashi smirked, setting down his cup. "Then I suppose the both of you are equally so. Unless you'd like to go enlighten them now, Lieutenant Takao?"

"Unfortunately, I'll have to refuse." He replied with a grin.

Akashi rose from his seat and made a few strides to the bookshelf covering the entirety of the left wall. He pulled out a large book encased in a velvety, navy coloured material and idly flipped through the first few pages.

"The more you try to look, the harder it becomes to trace his figure." Akashi recited, gliding a finger across the page. "Lieutenant Takao, deliver this book to Tetsuya for me. I'm sure you know where to find him, considering you were raised together."

Takao perked up at the directive, "That's fine with me. Though, are you sure you don't want to go yourself, General?"

Akashi heaved a deliberate sigh and returned to fetch his coat draped over the seat. "I'd love to do just that, however I have arranged to meet with the Supreme Commander. Shintarō, how much longer?"

Midorima rose from his seat and pulled out a tablet, tapping the screen twice to power it back on. "Approximately twenty minutes. It appears the Commander has passed through the first checkpoint, so it would be wise to head over to the main hall now."

With a nod, Akashi passed the book to Takao and left the room with Midorima in tow.

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

"Tecchan!"

Recognising his nickname, Kuroko turned his head to the right and smiled when he saw Takao sauntering towards him with a book under his arm.

"Takao-kun." He greeted politely, lightly kicking his feet in the crystal clear water below.

Takao slunk down onto the rock beside him with his legs crossed. He passed the book to Kuroko's awaiting hand alongside the comment, "From your beloved Akashi-sama." Kuroko ignored the snarky remark and caressed the book with a soft smile.

"But man, you sure do love this place." Takao muttered, letting his eyes roam all around. "I've heard you've been coming here almost everyday recently."

Kuroko closed his eyes and leaned back on his hands, "It's peaceful, don't you think? It feels like a different world in here."

Takao hummed lazily in response. The room they were in was located on the highest floor of a building considerably far from the main building, and resembled more of an indoor garden than anything else. The limestone walls were covered with ivy vines, imposingly tall at over twenty metres. Dauntingly large at the size of half a football field, the room was filled with the pleasantries of natural life – flowering trees, beds of lush green grass and stone steps sitting atop a shallow bed of flowing water. But according to Kuroko, the best part was supposedly the ceiling; or rather, a lack of it.

"The sunlight is warm and the water feels nice." He heard Kuroko murmur quietly. He spared a glance and found himself smiling at the peaceful expression on his friend's small face. They sat together in a comforting silence, occasionally making small talk.

"Hey Tecchan, have I ever told you about my first meeting with Akashi and his aides?" Takao asked out of the blue, compelling Kuroko to close his book.

Kuroko shook his head, "No, you haven't. By aides do you mean those three from before?"

"Yep. Shin-chan too." Takao added. It was important after all; Kuroko, Midorima and himself were what people called childhood friends. "It was at an emergency summoning of all troops after morning training. It was pretty intimidating, y'know? Because he was there to weed out a traitor." Kuroko tilted his head, nodding.

"Turns out Akashi already knew who the traitor was, because by the time he was done with formalities, Murasakibara was already dragging out a guy from my division." Takao recounted, feeling a shudder run down his spine at the memory.

Kuroko's face revealed no change in expression, but Takao noticed the slight frown marring the boy's lips. "What happened to him?" Kuroko asked, albeit hesitantly.

Takao chuckled, waving a hand in dismissal. "I also thought Akashi was going to kill him on the spot for sure, I mean, with his unsheathed sword and all. But when he swung his sword, all he did was slice off the Teikō emblem from the guy's uniform."

The frown disappeared from Kuroko's face, replaced with a look of relief. Takao grinned, ruffling his friend's blue hair. "It's thanks to you I came to realise Akashi wasn't such a bad guy after all, Tecchan." Kuroko deadpanned, swatting the hand off his head. Just as Takao opened his mouth to speak again, a continuous beeping sound rung from his back pocket.

"Oh crap!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, scrambling back onto his feet as he lightly pat Kuroko's shoulder in apology. "I'm so late. Miyaji-san is gonna have my head!"

Kuroko watched the man dash up the stairs and out of the room. He smiled and picked up Akashi's book, eyes gliding over the words late into the afternoon.

* * *

Akashi leaned back into the velvet sofa with a sigh; a scowl marring his usually composed features. Glancing back up at the Supreme Commander, he found himself mentally running over their conversation once more.

"I'd like to hear your input on this, General Akashi." The Commander said finally, lightly tapping his finger on the armrest.

"My input is as good as yours, Commander Shirogane." Akashi responded smoothly, eyes narrowing in displeasure at the compilation of files sitting on the coffee table between them. A single sheet of paper sticking out from the bottom read ' _D-Virus Infection: List A-K'._

"Those infected by the D-Virus all share one common trait; the loss of rational thought in return for unhinged, raw power." Akashi restated, "Sightings of the infected have almost doubled in the past three months, and there is no doubt that it is a deliberate act of aggravation. Considering the nature of our enemy, there is only one option as of now."

Commander Shirogane hummed in approval, uncrossing his legs. "If you consider that the best course of action, I shall leave this matter in your hands." He leaned forward and slid over a thin black envelope with a red wax seal engraved with the Empire's insignia. "Seize victory, General Akashi."

Akashi received the envelope with both hands and made a curt bow, excusing himself from the Commander's office. The two Imperial guards standing by the door lowered their heads in respect until the redhead disappeared around the corner.

"Did you see that?" The guard on the left whispered, "It was a black envelope."

The guard on the right nodded, lowering his voice to a barely audible hush. "Something big is going to happen again."

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

Unaccustomed to the unusual concept of idle hours following his meeting with the Commander, Akashi set out in the direction of his office. Inside his mind, he had already begun formulating an elaborate plan; he was calculating the efficiency and success rate of every single possibility and movement. Despite the intensity of the imaginary cogs whirring inside his head, the familiar sound of pleasant tinkling never failed to reach his ears.

"Akashi-kun?"

Akashi halted all mental ministrations, filed it away deep into the depths of his mind and met Kuroko's curious gaze fondly. The deep, azure orbs had never once failed to enrapture his entire being with a delightful calmness that seemed to soothe his weary mind; it was like a type of magic only Kuroko was capable of enchanting.

"Tetsuya, would you like to accompany me on my break?"

When Kuroko nodded, Akashi couldn't help the relief that tightened in his chest. And almost as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gently aligned his hand with Kuroko's and fit them together. The warmth that seeped through their palms spread across their bodies as they began walking down the quiet hall in a heartening silence.

"How rare for you to have spare time, Akashi-kun." Kuroko commented softly, "I can barely remember when you last invited me out."

Akashi simply tightened his grip and held back a chuckle with a half-hearted idle hum. "If Tetsuya says so, it must be quite troubling then. Perhaps I ought to do this more often."

At those words, Kuroko's usual dull, impassive façade shattered and slipped into the minuscule creases of his sleeve. A joyous smile stretched across his lightly flushed face as they headed outside, away from the endless stretch of bleak, repetitive interior.

"That sounds... nice." Kuroko replied albeit shyly, simply too gleeful at the prospect of being able to spend more time with the crimson haired man; Akashi was rather elusive – he was everywhere, but nowhere all at once. "Where are we going?"

Akashi smiled as they stepped out into the courtyard. "You'll see."

"By the way, Akashi-kun. Don't think I've forgiven you just yet for abandoning me like that this morning."

"..."

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Thank you everyone for your support! This is a general message for all my dear readers out there: the following chapters will be updated frequently, which means that at least one chapter will be out each week!_

 _(P.S. If you're wondering where Akashi planned to take Kuroko at the end, I have no idea either. Wild imagination go go!)_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Just as he had suspected, Akashi found Kuroko reading on a stone bench in the courtyard. Surrounded by rows upon rows of Peony flowers, he found himself smiling when a white butterfly landed on the boy's button nose. Kuroko's face lit up in pleasant surprise, but quickly faded back to his impassive façade when the insect fluttered away. Checking the time on his smartphone, he decided a quick greeting wouldn't hurt.

"Ah, Kuro-chin."

Akashi paused in his gait, turning to face the west entrance of the courtyard. Wading between the rows of flowering plants, Mursakibara approached Kuroko with a few snacks in hand.

"Good afternoon, Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko greeted, unfazed by the strange nickname.

Said giant plopped down next to the blue-haired boy and stretched his hand out, offering a small piece of candy. Kuroko stared at the item, clearly confused despite the lack of a visible reaction.

"What is this?"

"It's Kuro-chin's reward." Murasakibara explained lazily, "For being good at hide-and-seek. You almost beat me, but I still found you anyway."

Kuroko accepted the reward and unwrapped it, staring at it for a good ten seconds before plopping it into his mouth. Almost immediately, his eyes widened as a small smile adorned his lips. Akashi knew right away – _it must be vanilla_ , he mused.

"Thank you, Mursakibara-kun. It's delicious." In response, the taller man raised his hand and ruffled Kuroko's hair. He didn't appear to mind when it was swatted off.

"T-there you are, Kuroko-sama!" Kise yelled indignantly, pointing a finger of accusation at the two idly sitting on the bench. He hunched forward and spent a few seconds catching his breath. "Murasakicchi, you could've called us when you found him."

Mursakibara lazily muttered a half-hearted apology and resumed snacking. Visibly annoyed, Kise sauntered towards them as he tiptoed around the mass of flowers. Suddenly, Kuroko shot up in alarm and pulled his delicate robes up as he dashed towards the blond man.

"Please don't move, Kise-kun!"

The blond man looked up in surprise with an unintelligible grunt. Mursakibara looked on curiously, Aomine joining the fray as he entered the courtyard at that exact moment. One step too late, a bright glint flashed from the far end of the courtyard the second Kise's left foot landed on a loose tile. At that moment, Kise pulled out the short sword hanging from his waist and deflected a single arrowhead that was aimed at his head with terrifying precision. Just as he lowered his weapon in relief, Aomine's alarmed voice called out from afar.

"Behind y—!"

A sharp ping and tinkle resounded in the open air; the three men stood gaping with wide eyes as white robes elegantly fluttered to the ground. Facing the other direction, Kuroko stood behind Kise with a sheathed dagger in hand; a glistening arrowhead lay fallen by his bare feet. A single golden bell tinkled as it dangled from a red string tied around the handle – Kuroko straightened up and quickly hid the weapon inside his sleeve.

"Are you alright, Kise-kun? All the loose tiles in this garden are set to trigger a two-way trap."

Kise continued staring wide-eyed in astonishment, failing to form a cohesive response. Mentally replaying the situation a few hundred times over in the span of seconds, his eyes sparkled in admiration and respect. Aomine snapped out of his daze and rushed over, gushing over the small boy's hidden abilities.

"Kuroko-sama! Would it be alright if I called you Kurokocchi?"

"Damn, I didn't see that coming! Oh, hope you don't mind me calling you Tetsu from now on!"

"Kuro-chin, do you want another piece of candy?"

Akashi watched on fondly, tearing his gaze away as the four men interacted joyfully. For the time being, he would leave them be.

* * *

In the main ward of Teikō's headquarters, the usually silenced halls were abundant with activity. A hushed commotion enveloped the workers as they moved about, meticulously preparing the vicinity for what appeared to be a grand ceremony.

Colonel Midorima stood in the middle of a grandiose ceremony hall, surrounded by a small group of workers. "Finally, please ensure all staff members are notified of the mandatory screening process at sunrise the day before the ceremony. That will be exactly two days from now."

As the group of contractors excused themselves to resume work, a frenzy of whispers and mumbles enveloped the area. Midorima ignored the fuss, knowing who was approaching from years of experiencing the same routine.

"How are things looking, Shintarō?"

"Akashi." He greeted, "Everything is going smoothly. What brings you here?"

"I just came to see how things were going since I had a bit of time to spare." Akashi replied. He hummed as he took a look around, eyes narrowing in displeasure at the opaque red curtains pulled over every window. "Have them remove all the curtains in this room and tint the windows on the outside."

Midorima raised a brow in confusion, unsure what to make of the command. Regardless, he jotted it down on a memo and ushered someone over to take the memo to administration. "Have you talked to Kuroko about this yet?" He asked after a long moment of deliberation.

Akashi returned his gaze to Midorima; "No, I haven't seen him since I appointed Ryōta, Daiki and Atsushi as his guards. They appear to be getting along well from what I hear."

Midorima sighed, shaking his head. "It's been more than a week since then, Akashi." He unlocked the tablet resting in his hand and opened up the calendar. "I'll reschedule your dinner appointment this evening."

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

True to Midorima's word, Akashi soon found himself resting in the comfort of his personal adobe – a luxurious two-storey complex located twenty minutes from the main building. Removing his coat, he shed his clothes down to a cleanly pressed dress shirt and trousers. As the sun began sinking across the horizon, the distant sound of pleasant tinkling reached his ears.

"Good evening, Akashi-kun."

Kuroko stood on the other side of the front door, his blank face shadowed by the sinking sun. A small smile graced his lips when Akashi courteously motioned for him to come in.

"What happened those guards of yours?" Akashi asked despite having an inkling of an idea.

Kuroko stripped off the outermost layer of his simple tan robes and hung it on the coat rack by the door, having repeated the same action countless times on previous occasions. Noticing the rare glint of mischievousness Kuroko held, Akashi smiled and left the door unlocked. Kuroko made his way to the kitchen, where he began brewing a pot of tea – it was a practiced custom or routine they had developed over the years, so to speak. Akashi sat on a red bar stool, content with watching Kuroko's lithe figure move about.

"How have you been?" Kuroko asked inquisitively, sparing a glance at the owner of the house. "You seemed to be quite busy this past week."

Akashi rested his chin on his palm, smiling softly. "I'm doing well, Tetsuya. It's nothing a bit of rest can't fix. Although, I'm feeling much better now that you're here."

Kuroko raised a brow and padded over with a tray of teacups, the bells on his ankle ringing quietly. "Akashi-kun can be quite corny sometimes." He said with a soft chuckle as he plopped onto the bar stool next to him. "Thank you for the book you lent me last week, I sent it back with Takao-kun. It was a wonderful read."

Akashi closed his eyes and took a whiff of the aromatic black tea. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I happened upon it at a bookstore and knew you'd be interested." Kuroko's momentary hesitation at his words did not escape his attention. Before the two could say anything more however, three latecomers interrupted their conversation.

"We're finally here!" Kise said with a tired groan, "Next time we're definitely taking the car."

"That's because you insisted it would be easier searching for Tetsu on foot!" Aomine jeered, Murasakibara trailing behind him. "Tetsu, don't go disappearing off like that. Seriously."

Kuroko smiled in amusement and curtly apologised, slipping off the stool as Akashi directed them towards the dining room where a housekeeper had already prepared dinner for them.

"Shall we dine, Tetsuya?"

The two dined in silence with the only background noises being the sound of cutlery and Kise and Aomine's occasional chatter. Akashi glanced at the smaller boy to his left and lowered his fork and knife, promptly garnering attention.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko muttered inquisitively, mimicking the actions with his fork.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Akashi began, noticing the chatter across the table die down at his words. Kuroko noticed a strange tension fill the air, but chose not to say anything.

"Three days from now, there will be a public ceremony in the grand hall of the Imperial Palace." Akashi said without delay, making firm eye contact with Kuroko. "It's a ceremony to announce your official position as next in line to the throne, Tetsuya."

The moment those words left Akashi's mouth, Kuroko's eyes widened just a fraction as the colour in his face drained away. Watching silently from across the long table, Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara exchanged worried looks.

"Tetsuya?"

Kuroko parted his lips to speak, but quickly pressed them together again. "Why?" He whispered after a long period of silence, "After all this time, surely it has no purpose?"

Akashi held back a sigh and remained impassive – _business comes first_ , a voice inside his head whispered. "The citizens are growing uneasy. Even in the presence of the Empire, the prolonged absence of a definite ruler will see to harsh consequences."

Kuroko remained motionless, expressionless and unresponsive. He wasn't feeling particularly enraged or resentful; it was a selfish but necessary decision in Akashi's defence – but somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to accept the decision easily. When he peered up at Akashi's stoic expression, he felt a pang of disappointment squeeze at his chest.

' _Father must be feeling rather complacent in his grave.'_ Kuroko mused bitterly, drawing a long breath.

"It doesn't really bother me." Kuroko remarked eventually, disconcerting the others. Akashi's fixed gaze did not falter; Kise and Aomine exchanged perplexed looks and Mursakibara paused his noisy munching.

"To be frank, my empirical status has always been more of a hindrance. I've already long regressed into the position of a figurehead, so it matters not." _I already answer to the Empire's every beck and call_ , he added as an afterthought. "My existence only has meaning when I fulfil my predestined duty."

Akashi furrowed his brows, unpleased with Kuroko's flat response. Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara appeared to be on the same wavelength; nobody was satisfied with Kuroko's compliance – it sounded too defeated, too empty.

"However," Kuroko said suddenly, gliding a finger down the condensation on his glass of water. "Despite what I just said, it doesn't sit well with me. Akashi-kun, I'd like to raise three conditions."

Akashi raised a brow, mild curiosity overwriting his previous displeasure. "May I enquire what those conditions may be?"

Kuroko hummed, "I'm afraid I cannot disclose such sensitive information unless you agree to adhere to my conditions first."

Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara plodded over, as the atmosphere grew lighter. "Eh~ Come on, Kurokocchi! There's no harm in telling us, right?" Kise said with a grin.

"I'll give you candy, Kuro-chin." Muraskibara bribed, holding a packet of vanilla drops.

Kuroko shook his head. "Nope, no can do."

"What's the harm in agreeing, Akashi? Can't be anything bad considering it's just Tetsu—" Aomine yelped and hunched over in pain when he felt a hand jab his right side.

Akashi softened his gaze folded his arms, "I guess I have no choice then, do I? Pray tell us your conditions, Tetsuya."

Kuroko nodded earnestly, a comical seriousness slipping onto his face as he held up one finger. "To begin with, I want to go outside." He paused, raising a hand to prevent any interjections. "And by outside I mean outside the Imperial grounds."

The three standing behind Kuroko included, all four looked up at Akashi expectantly – for a fact, they knew that the blue-haired prince had never stepped foot outside Imperial Grounds. Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara reeled back in horror when a wide smile graced Akashi's lips – the devil incarnate was smiling. Genuinely smiling.

"By that, I take that you wish to venture down to the city?"

Kuroko nodded once.

"I suppose that can be arranged then."

Almost as if all his previous worries obliterated into a void, Kuroko's pale cheeks stained into a soft red as an elated expression adorned his face. The usual dull shine in his eyes sparkled in excitement; Kise threw his arms around Kuroko, unable to bear the sheer amount of adorableness permeating from him. Aomine was quick to verbalise profanities as he tried to pry the blond man away, but Kuroko only smiled and turned back to Akashi.

"What about the second and third conditions?" Akashi asked coolly, feeling pleasantly mellow at Kuroko's immediate joy.

Kuroko simply shook his head and quickly said that it was still a secret, the smile on his face unfaltering.

* * *

Following dinner, Akashi decided to simmer down on work and join the rest for a few rounds of cards. As per usual, Kise had suggested all sorts of rowdy games and they spent their time laughing, arguing and competing late into the night.

As midnight neared, drowsiness overtook Kuroko and he promptly fell asleep in his sitting position as the cards in his hands slipped onto the table.

"Whoa!" Kise gushed quietly in awe – strewn haphazardly across the surface were five cards making a straight flush. "Kurokocchi actually tied with Akashicchi!"

As the three restarted a new game, Akashi walked around to Kuroko and picked him up in a bridal hold. Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara openly stared at their leader when they noticed this action and remained silent when Akashi quickly returned with a stern expression.

"What's wrong, Aka-chin?"

Without a trace of the smiling, gentle person he was just a moment ago, Akashi gazed at them impassively and sat down.

"Daiki, I want you to accompany the Tōō representatives on their routine checkpoint patrol tomorrow morning." Akashi commanded calmly, folding his hands together. "Atsushi, I want you to do the same with Yōsen."

When the two agreed with questioning gazes, Akashi narrowed his eyes and dropped his gaze to the cards strewn across the table. His mind was already set on making Kuroko's trip to the city a priority and he had no intention of endangering him in any way. With the ceremony preparations in full swing, he had noticed a liability – a decisive factor, so to say, that he could foresee as nothing but a nuisance. Looking back up at his comrades, Akashi told them it was merely precautionary measures.

"Ryōta, come again at seven tomorrow. Tetsuya will be staying the night in my guest room." Akashi said finally, motioning for the rest to leave.

Without much protest, the three guards bid the redhead a good night and left in the dark of night. Upstairs, Akashi walked right past the guest bedrooms and quietly opened the door to the master bedroom where he slept. On the large four-poster bed in the centre of the room was a foetal positioned lump under the covers. He spared a quick glance then disappeared into the bathroom to wash up for the night.

As Akashi emerged from the bathroom in simple black robes, he lifted the bed sheet and slipped inside. With an unabashed smile concealed by only the darkness, Akashi snuggled in closer to the lump and threaded his fingers through the soft blue hair. Leaning into the touch unconsciously, Kuroko continued breathing softly as his body pressed closer to Akashi's warmth.

Kuroko was most definitely not sleeping the guest room; Although it did sound somewhat scandalous, Akashi would never allow that when there was a perfectly warm bed with plenty of space for two people. He knew he lied, but Kise didn't have to know.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Big thanks to my readers! Reviews make me so happy ;w; I apologise if you find the story progressing a bit slow. There is a proper plot, but it'll show itself starting the next two chapters or so. As usual, thank you everyone for your support (reviews, favs and follows)! See you next chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Mibuchi paled; the palm of his hands was clammy with cold sweat and the fine hairs on his body stood electrified, almost as if it had been frayed. If the grim discomfiture of his two unnaturally complacent companions wasn't enough of an indication, he didn't know what else could possibly be.

General Seijuurō Akashi was irate with dubiety – he was vexed, and there was no escaping his wrath.

Hayama and Nebuya stood on either side of Mibuchi, their bodies and expressions both frozen stiff in fear. A troop of six elite soldiers was poised in the same manner behind them, perfectly aware of what was surely to become of them.

"So," Akashi began calmly, for a sore lack of a more comprehensible word. "Not only did you fail to comply with my orders, but you _imbeciles_ also managed to let an infected being escape?"

If Akashi's usual impassiveness was nothing more than a façade, his current demeanour was an outright deception. Never in the history of man did a single person possess the ability to emanate an aura so intimidating that one could potentially pass out at the sheer exposure.

"Esteemed soldiers of the Empire should not be conducting themselves in such a disgraceful manner that would result in _such_ disappointment." Akashi rebuked with an admonitory growl, rising from his leather seat. He glared at the meek individuals standing on the other side of his desk and turned to face window, pulling out a device – his phone was vibrating with an incoming call.

"Akashi speaking." He answered coldly, having skipped the process of checking who the caller was. There was a minute silence before Akashi spoke again, his tone of voice suddenly mellowing down to something terribly, terribly softer.

"Tetsuya?" There was a pause. "No, don't be sorry. You just caught me at a bad time."

Nebuya cocked a brow and hesitantly turned to his companions with a combination of confusion and terror. Hayama appeared to share the same sentiments, whereas Mibuchi found himself busy zoning in on their leader's rather interesting conversation.

"Is something the matter, Tetsuya? It's rare for you to call me." Akashi paused once more and glanced at the wall clock on the far side of the room, his narrowed eyes almost glaring daggers at the time. "My apologies, I didn't realise it was this late already. I'll come down and join you in a few moments."

When he hung up and pocketed the device, the group of people went frigid once more. Akashi turned to them with his usual composed expression, daresay, albeit relaxed. In hindsight though, that still didn't vanquish the fact that absolutely nobody escaped the terrifying General's wrath.

"I will bestow your punishment another day." He said curtly, elegantly draping his white coat around his shoulders. "Worry not, I will call for you when the appointed time arrives."

A collective shudder ran through the trembling group of men as they promptly saluted Akashi's exit.

* * *

Despite the lively hustle and bustle of people going about their daily lives, the cityscape was a lot more intimidating than Kuroko had initially thought. The monotonous buildings were imposingly tall, towering hundreds of feet into the sky – or at least, that's how it seemed to him.

"Where would you like to go to next, Kurokocchi?" Kise asked once they were seated at an open café.

Cradling a tall glass of vanilla milkshake in his hands, Kuroko gave the question a thought whilst sucking on the droplets of milk at the tip of the striped straw. Too enthralled by the heavenly flavour seeping onto his tastebuds, he failed to notice the bewildered and slightly heated gazes focused on him.

"Tetsuya, would you like to visit a bookstore?" Akashi suggested, his chin resting atop laced hands.

The tiny glint of excitement sparkling in Kuroko's eyes was all it took for him to take the answer as a yes. As soon as they were done with their drinks, they headed over to the bookstore down the street without delay.

"We'll be at the department store across the road then." Aomine said with a mock salute, grinning as he lazily waved goodbye to Akashi and Kuroko. Kise, Mursakibara and Midorima followed after him without complaint. After all, a department store was bound to be more interesting than a mere bookstore.

Kuroko on the other hand, was in a perpetual state of silent elation – understandably so. Akashi perhaps, was the only person who was wholeheartedly willing to accompany Kuroko to the bookstore. Or rather, wanting to be alone with Kuroko, he may or may not have silently threatened his comrades with promises of death.

Dressed in casual garbs, the two walked into the three-storey building as a blast of cool air-conditioned air welcomed them at the entrance.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko said quietly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. He timidly pulled on the sleeve of Akashi's shirt, his entire being brimming with unconfined fascination, "Is it alright if we check the classic literature section first?"

Akashi nodded with a smile at his companion's endearing behaviour, prying Kuroko's hand off his sleeve to connect their hands. Conjoined hands falling into place quite naturally, Akashi led Kuroko upstairs to the second floor. "Take your time browsing, Tetsuya. Choose as many books as you want, I'll purchase them on our way out."

Kuroko bit his lip eagerly, the better half of his mind already immersed in the shelves. Akashi pointed over to the other half of the room and left Kuroko to his own devices; the trained half of Akashi's mind stayed alert, his eyes occasionally darting around at the erratic movements of other customers.

As close to two hours lapsed since they entered the store, Akashi noticed Kuroko had moved away from his field of vision. He knew that Kuroko lacked a definite presence and was nimble on his feet, but even so, he simply couldn't bring himself to stay put. Putting down a book on the contemporary history of global politics, he stalked over to find the blue-haired boy entranced by a promotion display.

"Tetsuya?"

Kuroko glanced back with a twinkle in his eye, motioning for Akashi to take a look at the display. "Look, Akashi-kun." He pointed to a metal phone strap – a black and white puppy cradling a basketball. "Don't you think it's cute?"

Akashi raised a brow, unsure how to reply. To say it was cute wouldn't be a lie, however he didn't really see what was so special about it. "Do you want it?"

Kuroko glanced down at the multiple books in his basket and back up at the strap. Finally, he looked over at Akashi somewhat apprehensively and nodded. Akashi felt a smile twitch at his lips; inherently, Kuroko was mostly a reserved person. He picked up a packaged phone strap and tossed into the basket after retrieving it from Kuroko's grasp.

"I'll be down at the register, so come down if you find anything else you want."

Kuroko shook his head and followed the redhead downstairs. Akashi emerged from the store holding two bags of books, refusing Kuroko's offer to take the burden of the load off him.

"I really could've paid for myself, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said with a slight pout.

Leisurely walking across the street to the department store, Akashi turned his head to Kuroko as a gentle smile enveloped his stunning features. "You know I wouldn't let you do that, Tetsuya. Otherwise I wouldn't be a very good date now, would I?"

Kuroko paused once they were off the road and stared at Akashi inquisitively, suddenly a little self-conscious – they were not lovers nor were they alone on their trip. "Are Akashi-kun and I on a date?"

"Of course," Came his reply. A colourful group of four men emerged from the department building and stalked over in their direction. "And I enjoyed it very much, Tetsuya." Akashi concluded, much to Kuroko's embarrassment.

* * *

Kuroko slipped into a deep slumber ten minutes into the hour drive back to the Imperial Grounds. Somewhere along the way, Kuroko began swaying and landed on Kise's shoulder until a bump in the road caused his body to lurch forward and land on Akashi's lap. Said redhead appeared to have no qualms at the compromising position, pointedly ignoring the incredulous looks sent his way. His fingers began threading through Kuroko's soft hair as he scrolled through documents on his phone. Upon their arrival, they found themselves unable to wake him.

"Kuro-chin sleeps like he's dead." Murasakibara commented, staring at the blue-haired prince in fascination. Aomine snorted, prodding a finger on a pale cheek.

Unable to contain himself, Kise quickly snapped a picture of Kuroko's sleeping figure while Akashi conversed with Midorima near the hood of the vehicle.

"Atsushi, carry Tetsuya to his room then come to the meeting chambers. Daiki, Ryōta, follow me." Akashi said sharply, his previous relaxed demeanour forgotten. With an affirmative grunt, Mursakibara ducked into the vehicle and effortlessly hoisted Kuroko into his arms.

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

It was only when Murasakibara found his way to the appointed destination of the chambers, the meeting commenced. The meeting chambers were part of a large underground system that was strictly guarded and accessible to only the few chosen soldiers of the Empirical Army; Murasakibara was granted entry without question.

"Atsushi, you're late." Himuro chastised quietly, ushering the latecomer over.

Murasakibara murmured a curt apology and walked over to stand next to him, briefly making eye contact with Akashi who was standing in the centre of a large elevated stage made of stone. In the dimly lit underground chamber, most of the people who had attended Midorima's emergency meeting were present.

On the stage, Akashi drew out his sheathed katana and firmly tapped it on the ground once. The light chatter in the room died down instantly as all eyes turned to the stage, where Akashi was now standing with his hands resting atop the weapon.

"Let us skip formalities and delve right into the matter at hand." He began affirmatively, "Teikō's crown prince will be officially revealed to the public tomorrow. With an event of such grand scale, there is no doubt our previous aggressors will make their appearance."

Hushed whispers swept over the small crowd at the information as a dark, almost sadistic smile appeared on Akashi's face.

"We shall welcome them with open arms." He announced, much to the excitement of the men standing below him. "Ten hours from now, Operation Purge will commence. Anyone who dares defy the Empire shall experience the finest hospitality we have to offer."

Aomine was the first to break out into an excited cheer, followed by Kise and eventually most others. They were most definitely shaking with anticipation – after all, they had plenty of debts to pay and vengeance to fulfil.

"First and foremost, each individual here is accountable for the safety of the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko. Of course, that includes myself." Akashi continued with the specific details and communication mechanisms of the operation, appointing each individual to a certain area within the vicinity of the event. Not too long after, the meeting came to an end; Akashi slipped his katana back into the loop of his belt and descended from the stage at an even pace.

"Akashi, hand this to Kuroko for me." Midorima said suddenly, approaching the redhead near the exit. "You're on your way to see him, aren't you?"

Akashi raised a brow but responded affirmatively nonetheless, extending a hand to receive a spool of shimmery gold ribbon. Very much aware of Midorima's antics, Akashi slipped it into his pocket and made his up to Kuroko's private quarters located a little far off from the Imperial Palace.

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

When he arrived at the main entrance of Kuroko's room, the stationed guards saluted and hastily unlocked the door. The room was dark save for the hazy stream of moonlight peeking through the curtains. In the centre of the room, Kuroko lay writhing fitfully on the large bed. Akashi approached him quietly and gazed at Kuroko's pale face contorted with pain – his hands were wrapped around his small frame, tightly clutching the fabric on his lower torso.

It was happening again.

With practised movements, he walked in to the adjoining bathroom suite and emerged with a small glass bottle of starchy white pills. Having appeared to finally notice Akashi's presence in the midst of his hazy fit of pain, Kuroko blinked wearily and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"…I'm sorry."

Akashi said nothing, simply sitting down on the edge of the bed. Unscrewing the bottle cap, he gently placed a single pill in Kuroko's sweaty palm and reached over to fetch him a half empty bottle of water. Only when Kuroko downed the pill without hesitation, did Akashi make any attempt to speak.

"There's really no need for you to apologise." He said in almost a whisper, placing the glass bottle on the bedside table.

Kuroko shook his head, a small frown adorning his soft features. "I'm troubling Akashi-kun every time this happens."

Silently battling a compilation of conflicting emotions, Akashi offered a bitter smile and stood to make room for Kuroko to lay back down.

"It's no trouble at all, Tetsuya." He retorted softly, "And you know that."

Kuroko bit his lip as his head landed gently on the white pillow. He looked up at Akashi with dull eyes that spoke of a long worn weariness and uncertainty, but Akashi chose to keep his immediate thoughts to himself. Instead, he rested his hand on Kuroko's soft hair and willed him to close his eyes and sleep. Akashi remained standing by Kuroko's bedside until his breaths started becoming deeper at an even, relaxed pace.

" _I vow to stay by your side until I find a cure, Tetsuya."_ He whispered, kneeling down on one knee to caress the side of Kuroko's face. He leaned over tentatively and lightly pressed his lips on the exposed forehead.

" _For your sake, I will attain victory."_

Satisfied with the soft, even breaths he received in response, Akashi glanced back at Kuroko's unguarded sleeping figure one last time and left the room.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Tapping his fingers on the armrest impatiently, Midorima glanced at the analogue clock hanging on the wall to his right and sighed. At that moment, the door opened to reveal a yawning Takao who looked just as taken aback to see him as he was.

"Huh, Shin-chan?"

Midorima raised a brow, "Takao."

The raven haired man walked over to the private lounge's small kitchenette and idly brewed himself a cup of coffee. "You're usually never outside during this hour of the night."

Midorima heaved a sigh and took another glance at the clock, which had only moved by a minute. "There's something I must discuss with Akashi."

Takao hummed in response but said nothing, leaning back against the counter with his cup of coffee in hand. Taking a small sip, he stared at the bespectacled man with a raised brow and sharp gaze. Midorima sighed, knowing that Takao was not going to leave him alone unless he offered an explanation.

"It's about the ceremony." He offered slowly, masking his words with a feigned nonchalance.

"Yes, so what about Tecchan?" Takao responded with a barely concealed snort– he could easily see through Midorima's horribly concealed lies.

With another sigh, Midorima gave in and readjusted his glasses as he began talking. "Takao, why do you think Akashi is so adamant on having this ceremony after all this time?"

Takao furrowed his brows and looked down into the murky brown liquid in thought. As far as he knew, Kuroko's ceremony had a transitory effect more than anything else. Aside from quelling the citizen's general disquiet, he assumed it would largely give leeway to more dynamic diplomatic and political reforms. However, the grim look on Midorima's face clearly stated otherwise. Before he could reply, the door swung open with a soft click.

"Akashi, you're here."

Akashi nodded and closed the door behind him before walking over to take a seat across Midorima. He shrugged off his coat and draped it across the armrest as he ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. Takao and Midorima both frowned, unaccustomed to Akashi's open display of what they could only assume was weariness. Akashi's eyes briefly landed on Takao before looking at Midorima with his lips pursed tightly.

"It happened again." He said quietly.

Takao shifted his gaze between the two men in confusion, noticing the subtle signs of anxiousness Midorima was displaying. When Akashi wordlessly glanced at Takao and then back to Midorima with a nod, he hadn't prepared himself for the hollow words that tumbled out of his friend's mouth.

"Kuroko still harbours the virus, Takao. He's been hiding his pain with medication over the years, but the frequency of his symptoms has been steadily increasing."

For a moment, Takao felt everything go still. Time seemed to freeze as the faint ticking of the wall clock faded into a void of silence. Then there was dread; a cold shudder of dread prickled his skin as it ran down his spine.

"That's why the ceremony must go on. We're running out of time." Akashi said finally, a dark look flashing before his eyes. "Tetsuya is running out of time."

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Good day dear readers! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and fav/followed. Aside from satisfying my own imagination, it makes my day knowing someone else is enjoying this just as much, hahaha. FINALLY, we're getting somewhere with this story! -rolls out-_

 _(P.S. Special thanks to my guest reviewers whom I can't reply to. You guys are awesome!)_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Festivities enveloped the bustling Imperial Grounds much like a flower in full bloom. General members of the public roamed around the main courtyard dressed in their finest suits and dresses, donning glasses of champagne. A plethora of guards stood watch at every nook and cranny with unrelenting gazes, each equipped with a hidden firearm and a long, ceremonial spear.

"How exciting, I wonder what the crown prince is like." Said a young woman holding a sleeping infant in her arms. Her companions chimed in agreement, sharing pleasantries as they walked off.

Hyuuga grimaced and lightly pulled at his pinstriped tie. He casually grabbed a glass of sparking champagne from a passing waiter and walked in another direction, his eyes scanning the crowd carefully. Not too far in the distance, he spotted a familiar raven-haired man surrounded by a group of three women.

"Izuki."

The man, Izuki, pardoned himself from the women and fell into step with Hyuuga as they retreated to a slightly less congested area. Exchanging meaningful looks for a split second, they fell into a feigned social conversation as people walked around them.

"Fancy meeting you here, Hyuuga." Izuki began with a forged smile, "How have you been?"

Hyuuga pushed up the rim of his glasses and plastered on a fake smile on his end as well. Their surface pleasantries were nothing but a sham after all – it was all a farce to exchange crucial information whilst mingling with the crowd undercover.

"I've been faring well." He replied, not having witnessed any suspicious activity first-hand. "I trust you've been holding up well on your end too?"

Izuki returned the sickening smile and brought his champagne glass to his lips, pretending to take a quick sip. "Yes, I've been well too. Although, I ran into our old friend Tsuchida earlier and heard something quite interesting."

Hyuuga raised a brow, slipping his untouched glass onto a nearby table. "Oh? Pray tell."

"He said that he spotted a stray dog headed towards the stables not too long ago." Izuki explained lightly, "Although, I'm sure the stable keepers will do something about it."

Hyuuga narrowed his eyes in response, curtly bidding farewell to the man. A stray dog wandering in meant that a suspicious individual had slipped past them, and stationed near the stables was Major Hayama, one of General Akashi's most trusted men. Despite knowing the Major's capabilities, he couldn't seem to shake off the uneasy feeling welling inside of his chest. With a supressed sigh, he returned to the main courtyard to exchange information with other undercover soldiers from his division.

* * *

Two firm knocks sounded from the other side of the door before it quietly swung open. Kuroko looked up from the novel in his hand to see Akashi standing at the door, primly dressed in the finest military garbs he had ever seen on the man.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun." He greeted politely, setting the book aside as he rose to stand.

Akashi nodded in acknowledgement and muttered something to the guards standing outside before closing the door behind him.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. How are you feeling today?" He asked, pausing to savour the image pleasing his eyes.

A slight frown made its way onto Kuroko's plump lips, the golden circlet sitting atop blue locks clinking softly as his gaze fell to the floor. Akashi took a tentative step forward, careful not to tread on the ends of the fine silk robes that splayed over the floor.

"Nervous." Kuroko replied softly, lifting a draped arm to stare at the robes weighing his body down. "And these robes are much too difficult to move in." He added rather irately.

Akashi gave a knowing smile, gesturing for the prince to take a seat. Kuroko carefully treaded over to a low chair and sat, the robes spreading out around him like a blooming flower. Garish in all its glory, the silk robes were a vivid shade of royal blue with a subtle dragon motif. It was layered with the colours white, pale blue and gold – not a single detail of the outfit was overlooked.

"Shame. I think it looks marvellous on you." Akashi offered, his tone of voice unconcealed and genuine. He looked on fondly as Kuroko pursed his lips in conflict – seemingly happy about the compliment but still irate about the whole farce. "You'll be due in fifteen minutes." He added.

"Akashi-kun, would it be alright to receive assistance in rehearsing my speech?" Kuroko asked, looking at the redhead with a fixed gaze.

Akashi agreed to it right away, slipping into his stern business mode as Kuroko recited his lines. About ten minutes into the impromptu rehearsal, Midorima interrupted them with two knocks to the door. Somewhat apprehensively, Kuroko followed the bespectacled man to the grand hall.

As Kuroko walked along with the soft tinkling of bells, stationed guards and housekeepers made obligatory waist-deep bows. The prince's subtle indications of discomfort did not go unnoticed, so Akashi made a point to discreetly pulled Kuroko's warm hand into his. Their conjoined hands were concealed by the lavish robes, and Kuroko felt his face warm up pleasantly as he lightly squeezed Akashi's hand in gratitude.

"We're here." Midorima announced as they stopped just outside the rear entrance to the grand hall. He noticed Kuroko and Akashi's conjoined hands but said nothing despite the curiosity burning in his throat.

"Listen carefully, Kuroko." He said, opening the doors to reveal a short flight of ascending stairs. "I will not be joining you on the stage, but myself included, Kise and the others will be keeping watch. Once you go up there, you will be joined by Akashi, the Supreme Commander and other officials."

Just as Kuroko voiced his understanding, Midorima saluted and politely greeted Supreme Commander Shirogane before excusing himself. A troupe of officials followed not too long after, every single one of them greeting Kuroko with fake pleasantries and plastered smiles. Commander Shirogane led the troupe onto the stage, with Akashi following behind Kuroko for precautionary measures.

Feeling Akashi's reassuring hand pat his shoulder briefly, Kuroko steeled his nerves and took a deep breath before stepping out onto the stage. The bells tied around his ankle tinkled with every step, his lavish figure enrapturing the crowd into a stunned silence and the occasional hushed whisper.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Dressed in his standard military outfit, Aomine stood on guard near the entrance of the monstrously large hall. Following the gaze of the crowd, an impressed whistle left his lips the moment Kuroko stepped onto the stage in all of his empirical glory. For the first thirty minutes of the drone of obligatory greeting processions, everything appeared at peace. As tears prickled at his eyes in boredom, the time trickled well into the hour when something caused the hairs on his body to stand in alert– he felt a surge of dread as his intuition blared alarm bells. Eyes darting around the room, he noticed Kise and Murasakibara were also on edge.

"Did you guys feel that too?" He muttered quietly, pressing a hand over his earpiece communication device.

A static buzz followed three affirmative responses. At that moment, Aomine spun his head around to momentarily witness the blurred figure of a cloaked man run past the hall through the one-way tinted windows. Kise's voice blared from the earpiece, obviously having witnessed the same thing. Midorima's voice soon followed suit, hastily voicing a directive; Aomine and Kise were to follow the sighting of the suspicious individual while Murasakibara and himself remained to keep watch.

"I'll contact the others immediately."

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

The tense situation unfolding did not escape Akashi's attention. He briefly locked eyes with Midorima as Kuroko stood to address the citizens; he knew the figure outside was most likely a distraction to avert their attention from Kuroko. Somehow though, the thought did not sit well with Akashi.

A static buzz blared through the earpiece.

"Aominecchi, did you find him?" Kise asked in urgency. "Aominecchi?"

The earpiece buzzed with static once more, connecting all four men. "Kise, get over here quick. Call the medics while you're at it." Aomine's voice sounded defeated, riling an unpleasant feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

"What's going on over there, Aomine?" Midorima's hushed voice asked.

A bitter chuckle rung through the earpiece just before the line went silent; "They got us."

ーーーーー黒子のバスケーーーーー

The grand hall bustled with animated chatter as the ceremony came to a well rehearsed, peaceful close. Deliberately putting on airs for the ignorant officials and lingering audience members, Akashi promptly excused himself to escort Kuroko back to his quarters.

"Is something bothering you?" Kuroko asked bluntly; Akashi's composed demeanour was meaningless in light of his perceptiveness. Akashi pursed his lips and said nothing at first, holding out his hand for Kuroko as they approached a tall flight of stairs.

"There has been a bit of trouble, but it's nothing for you to be concerned about." He replied once they were halfway up the staircase. When Kuroko gave him a dubious look in reply, Akashi heaved a feigned sigh. "I assure you, it's nothing I can't handle."

Kuroko pulled his hand away from the redhead once they reached the top, the designated room only a few doors down the hall. "I don't doubt that you'll be able to handle it, Akashi-kun. But I do think I have a right to be concerned."

Akashi's eyes lightened up in mild surprise at Kuroko's words. "Then I will do away with that concern of yours, Tetsuya." His hand found his way atop Kuroko's soft blue locks. "My words are absolute."

Kuroko peeled Akashi's hand off his head and looked right into the pair of mesmerising red orbs. "I trust you'll be at the banquet tonight then?"

"Of course."

* * *

Guards armed with firearms stood around the perimeter of the farmhouse and stables. Teams of medics and official investigators from the Yōsen and Tōō divisions worked tirelessly on the gruesome situation at hand.

"Sick bastards."

Before slinking away in departure to report the situation to his leader, Aomine apprehensively looked back once more with a curse. Patches of dripping blood stained the grassy field and stable walls; the outline of lifeless bodies lay on the grass under stained white sheets. He was one step too late.

By the time he had half the mind to come around to check the seemingly peaceful stables, the damage had already been done. With utmost reluctance, he alerted the others and simply waited for their arrival.

"Daiki."

With his usual composed expression effectively enhancing his regal aura, Akashi made long strides past his taller subordinate and scanned the area attentively. Aomine noted that something must've caught the redhead's attention – for, Akashi called over the members of the Tōō division and asked them to leave the rest of the investigation to Yōsen. When Aomine enquired the reason for his directive on their way back to his office, Akashi uncharacteristically replied, "Just a hunch".

Unsurprisingly, waiting outside Akashi's office was the only group of soldiers who were informed of Operation Purge. They hastily saluted their leader in respect and wordlessly followed him to the meeting room at the end of the hall. A thick, suffocating silence bounced off the dreary walls as they shuffled into the room single file.

"Report." Akashi commanded sternly, his collected façade betraying the vexed aura permeating from his being. The verbal reports began from the far end of the table and dragged on for a good hour until the final report landed back on Akashi.

Unsurprisingly, the General did not appear to be perturbed at all – rather, it appeared as if he had already speculated the entirety of the situation before they had even stepped foot into the impromptu meeting. In actuality, the entire fiasco was simple in its nature.

Two off-duty stable hands and three young farmhouse workers had their lives savagely cut short by an unknown assailant. A single, deep gash ran across the necks of the victims, and their lifeless eyes were frozen in the momentum of horror and shock.

"Today's incident was a mere greeting. Our aggressors appear to have every intention of making an enemy out of the Empire." Akashi stated calmly. Despite his choice of words, he knew it wasn't a mere inference – it was fact.

Someone down the row slammed their hands onto the table in fury, gruffly verbalising a string of curses and insults. Though sharing the same sentiment, Akashi closed his eyes to ward off an incoming headache. He abruptly rose from his leather seat, garnering complete attention.

"I will take care of the rest. Meeting dismissed." He remarked, walking around to the door. The men held their tongues– if those words had been uttered by anyone else, it would've sounded nothing but haughty and implausible. Their unwavering faith in Akashi's abilities and commands, however, was absolute.

Akashi's closest aides were the first to stand and leave, their moods considerably lighter than when they had first walked in. Curious and feeling slightly incredulous at their blind acceptance, Captain Hyuuga and Captain Kasamatsu questioned the four men nearing the door.

"If Akashi said he'd do it, then he'll do it." Aomine responded easily, making it sound as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Kise and Midorima both nodded in silent agreement.

Just as they made to leave, Murasakibara turned his head to the side and lazily glared at the remaining men. "Aka-chin won't lose."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The evening banquet thundered with the spirited chatter and laughter of effervescent young folks. Illuminated by bright lights and surrounded by a plentiful fountain of gourmet food, the main courtyard had transformed into an entirely new place in itself.

Dressed in considerably lighter robes, Kuroko begrudgingly went around to greet the citizens and other higher ranked officials as part of a customary process. Barely half an hour into the tedious commitment, he excused himself from his troupe of guards and quickly untied his bells. Drawing an exhausted sigh, Kuroko slipped around the corner to the far end of the courtyard where he slinked into the dark of night.

He spared a fleeting glance at the grand hall in the far distance, mentally replaying the days events in his mind. When he closed his eyes for a brief moment, the concerning outline of Akashi's weary face visualised before his closed eyelids. His thoughts drifted to the memory of Akashi's strange demeanour following the end of the ceremony – from what he heard afterwards, supposedly there had been trouble at the stables. If their earlier exchange had been anything akin to a promise, then Akashi had most definitely broken it by not making an appearance at the banquet. The mere idea of Akashi betraying his trust caused a painful tug in his chest, but the idea disappeared as soon as it manifested. He was never one to mope over such matters for long, and he had every intention of keeping it that way.

Just as the thought faded from his mind, a peculiar yelp sounded from the stables.

Without hesitation, he straightened up and trudged towards the area as fast as his legs would take him. Which to say, didn't appear to be anything commendable – by the time the stables and farmhouse came into view, a handful of people were already standing around.

Kuroko took a tentative step forward as his eyes widened in unsuppressed horror.

Mingling with the usual smell of animal waste and hay was the unrelenting stench of freshly spilled blood. He stood frozen for a moment before his feet began walking forward faster than his mind could catch up – the other people hadn't appeared to notice him without the bells.

The large doors to the main farmhouse were wide open as a dim light flickered inside; a young farmhouse worker had sunken to his knees at the entrance as his bulky frame trembled incessantly. Kuroko took another tentative step forward to peer inside and gauge his reaction to find out exactly what the worker was seeing.

Pure madness – that's what it was.

Innumerable farm animals lay motionless on their sides as the piercing squeals and terrified cries of their stablemates polluted the room with shrill cries and an ear-piercing muddle of sounds. Countless pigs were stiff and motionless, some frothing from the mouth as others began convulsing in painfully abnormal motions. In the centre of the farmhouse was the limp body of an old farmhouse worker, pale and cold to the bone. It didn't take a hardened detective to deduce that man was no longer well and alive– the expanse of taut skin had completely lost all its colour.

Kuroko's mouth fell agape in raw shock as an overwhelming wave of perplexity washed over him. He recognised the worker; he was well acquainted with man not unlike a good old friend. Senior Aile was a jolly old folk who hailed from a foreign land, having settled in Japan decades ago after pursuing a long-distance relationship. Kuroko also knew of his weak-hearted, gentle wife who mostly stayed at home to recuperate from the genetic illness wracking her frail body. And now, he also knew of the immeasurable grief that was surely to follow the poor woman to her grave.

The mere thought of her sorrow and grief wracked his own body with a disconcerting repulsion.

"Tetsuya?"

Kuroko spun around to see Akashi approaching him in alarm. He didn't know exactly what kind of face he was making at that exact moment – perhaps a look of horror or disgust was etched onto his face, or perhaps he hadn't been wearing an expression at all. However, whatever it was, it had prompted Akashi to break into a dash and sweep Kuroko into his arms.

"A-Akashi-kun…" Kuroko choked out, strangely unsure whether his choking was from relief, shock or a mix of both. The sheer warmth of Akashi's embrace calmed his alarmed senses, as the familiar musky smell enveloped and overwrote the lingering stench clinging to his body like grime.

Akashi tightened his hold around Kuroko's trembling frame; one hand wrapped around his waist and the other gently pressing his head into the curve of his right shoulder. A grim look of vexation and raw concern all but replaced his earlier shock. He knew Kuroko would find out eventually, but he had never thought it would be so soon and in such a manner.

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya." Akashi whispered, loosening his hold to drag themselves away from the farmhouse. "You shouldn't have seen that."

Kuroko continually trembled in his arms, his body shaking with an unsettling queasiness. Looking up with glistening tears moistening his eyes, he gripped the front of Akashi's coat as his befuddled mind snapped back to reality. "What on earth was that, Akashi-kun? The animals, the worker—!"

Akashi gazed at him with a dispirited smile and pulled him back into a tight embrace. "Not now, Tetsuya. I promise to tell you everything, but now is not the time."

"No, please tell me, Akashi-kun. I—mmf...!" Kuroko's conflicted expression instantly morphed to shock as he felt a wet warmth gently press against his lips.

Even in hindsight, Akashi didn't know entirety of what compelled him to make such a daring move. All he knew was that it definitely was not a higher power — that, he was certain of. Chastely pressing his lips against Kuroko's for mere seconds was perhaps the only thing he would possibly never come to regret.

Witnessing an upset and disconcerted Kuroko in close proximity did horrible things to his heart. So, he kissed him – not to calm him down, or to even hush his words.

"Do you trust me?" Akashi whispered slowly as he pulled away, his husky tone of voice dropping deep.

Bewildered, Kuroko gazed up at him with a vivid shade of pink dusted across his cheeks. Abashed, he quickly lowered his gaze in and buried his head into Akashi's chest. Barely but audibly, he muttered a quiet affirmative response. He couldn't look up, especially not when the burning warmth of Akashi's lips still lingered on his own.

"Then I'll stay with you, Tetsuya. I'll stay until you're able to sleep without nightmares." Akashi muttered, the insinuation of an unspoken promise hanging off the tip of his tongue.

Kuroko nodded weakly as he attempted to calm his racing heart. Though, a feeble attempt it appeared to be, as the fleeting warmth in his chest soon dissipated and simmered down into a dark, cold feeling. The confronting images of his lifeless acquaintance and poor, suffering animals shuffled through his mind rapidly like a slideshow as a fleeting resentment settled heavily at the back of his mind. The images flashing before his eyes did nothing but spur an irate coldness that overwhelmed the warmth of the arms around his body. Strangely enough, he could make out the motion of words slipping past Akashi's lips, but his brain refused to register a single word.

An unnerving itch was beginning to awaken a part of his consciousness he was not yet well acquainted with.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Is it just me or are these chapters getting longer as it progresses? Well, anyway. I wonder how Akashi will perceive the success of his operation - the goal was to protect Kuroko, which they ultimately did, but in return they suffered multiple losses which may or may not equate to success. Hm._

 _A big, big thanks to my reviewers for motivating me to update faster! I also extend my gratitude to everyone else who may or may not be reading this pointless author's note (no really, does anyone even read this?). Hope you have a great week, and I shall see you next chapter!_

 _(P.S. Please note that I beta my own writing and may miss the occasional mistake. Please point out any if you spot them, thanks!)_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Despite all his years of acquaintanceship with the man known as Seijuurō Akashi, Colonel Midorima has not once, been able to grasp a solid understanding of his character. More often than not, Akashi was a cold and intimidating, ruthless Army General. Other times he was a calm, calculating and compassionate leader.

Recently, however, Midorima discovered a new side of the man he never thought he would ever come to witness in his lifetime.

"I commend you for gathering at such short notice, men." Akashi said smoothly, his usual commandeering voice soft and hushed. "I shan't take too much of your time."

Unnerved and confused by the bizarre display sitting a mere metre away, Midorima bit back the words threatening to spill out of his mouth in favour of keeping his head intact with the rest of his body. Kise, however, didn't appear to share the same sentiment.

"Um, Akashicchi…" Kise began slowly, eyes wide and curious. "Are we going to talk here—like this…?"

Holding back a sigh, Midorima silently praised the blond man for easily spilling out what he had wanted to say the moment he entered the room. Aomine and Murasakibara appeared to be on the same track of mind.

Akashi flitted his gaze over at them and wordlessly, offered nothing more than a single nod. A faint, ghost of a smile graced his lips as he lowered his gaze back down to the warm, sleeping bundle in his arms. With Akashi's white coat draped over his shoulders, Kuroko lay fast asleep in Akashi's lap. With his small body encompassed by the warmth and security of Akashi's arms, his head rested comfortably on the curve of Akashi's right shoulder as his hands curled up against his chest.

"Tetsuya wouldn't quite let go when I put him in bed, so I brought him with me. Do excuse him, I trust you all to keep this to yourselves." Akashi explained light-heartedly, as if nothing was wrong at all.

This domestic, almost fascinating side of Akashi, Midorima noted, was reserved for one person and one person only – Kuroko. Knowingly, as if he had read into Midorima's thoughts, Akashi removed a hand from Kuroko's waist and brought it up to gently rest atop the messy blue locks. If Midorima was suicidal and had half the mind to do so, he would've feigned a gag at how disgustingly sweet it seemed.

"So," Aomine began, warily eyeing the peculiar scene. "What's so urgent you gathered us in your office at this time of night?"

Akashi lifted his gaze, the stern expression on his face teetering on the edge of pure bitterness. Unconsciously, he began threading his fingers through Kuroko's hair.

"Tetsuya is aware of today's incident. Unfortunately to say, he happened upon the stables just a while ago."

Kise was the first to voice his disbelief, his brows furrowing in concern for the boy sleeping peacefully in Akashi's arms. "What do you mean, Akashicchi? Kurokocchi was supposed to be at the banquet!"

With a suppressed sigh, Akashi briefed them of the situation – about how Kuroko slipped out of the festivities, and how he witnessed the carnage first hand. Aomine opened his mouth to speak, but a pointed glare from Akashi stopped him there.

"Though, that isn't why I gathered you all here. I only wanted you to be aware of this for Tetsuya's sake." He said calmly, lowering his hand to join the other at Kuroko's waist. When he received four simultaneous nods in affirmation, he closed his eyes for a quick second before reopening them with a hard look of steel determination.

"The perpetrators of today's incident will be brought to justice. Together with Unit Two, you four will ensure the success of this operation at first light tomorrow."

Save for Murasakibara's quiet hum, nobody uttered a word. It came to no surprise that Akashi had already figured out the culprits only hours after announcing that he would take care of the situation at hand.

"So whom do we owe this displeasure to?" Midorima asked, his voice low and thick with an annoyed growl. "I certainly do not appreciate night time excursions down to the city."

Aomine snorted, calling the bespectacled man a straight-laced prude. Kise joined the fray and voiced his excitement before Akashi interrupted them with a calm retort.

"There's no need for that. The perpetrators are within the palace walls." Akashi revealed, his expression unwavering with an unnervingly calm anger.

Aomine bared his teeth with a grin at the words, his body leaning forward as he gripped the armrests tightly. "Now we're talking. Who is it?"

A small smile ghosted on Akashi's lips, but it was expressing anything but joy. Strangely unreadable, it veered more towards a look of preconceived disappointment. "I'm afraid you may have misheard me, Daiki. The responsible party is not a single man, rather, an entire division."

The collective round of barely audible gasps drowned the room in a suffocating tension that only rose in intensity with Akashi's every word.

* * *

"Aomine-san!"

With a tired grumble, Aomine lazily waved a hand at the brown-haired man standing in the distance on the training field. He made a non-committal grunt in response to the onslaught of morning greetings from surrounding soldiers of lower ranks.

"You're up early today, Aomine-san." Sakurai – the brown haired man – said inquisitively. "I'm sorry! Captain Wakamatsu is currently at a meeting, so morning patrol won't be until another hour."

Aomine casually waved a hand in dismissal, his mouth opening wide with another yawn. "Nah, I'm not going today. Just came to tell you that. Later." As he turned to leave, the usually complacent Sakurai stopped him to enquire the reason.

Aomine turned back with a scowl. "Che. You know why. That damn incident yesterday has everyone on their toes, and Akashi's freaking livid. Kept our unit on patrol all night, and now I gotta go babysit Tetsu."

He pointedly ignored Sakurai's meek remark about demeaning the prince in such a manner and sauntered off to the main building with another yawn.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Major Mibuchi, how do you fare with theatrics?"

The effeminate, raven-haired man stared at Akashi incredulously. The intimidating General sat comfortably in his chair with a composed smile, as if he was feeling rather pleased with himself. Mibuchi failed to hide his perplexity as his mouth opened and closed a few times like a gaping fish.

"Rather well, I suppose?" He responded as evenly as possible, failing to see where the flow of conversation was heading.

As promised, Akashi had called his unit back in to discuss matters of their punishment for failing to succeed their north-eastern tower mission. Talking about theatrics though, was not what he had prepared his terrified heart for.

"Splendid." Akashi exclaimed dully, his expression unchanging. "In regards to your punishment, everyone here will be doing some—" He paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "—jobs, for me."

The three majors shuddered, feeling a deep sense of dread well up inside.

"So what's theatrics have to do with anything?" Major Hayama asked rather naively.

A barely noticeable smirk swept across General Akashi's face as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his laced fingers.

"Why, I'm glad you asked."

* * *

The sun had barely begun to rise from beyond the horizon when Midorima found himself with a cup of tea in the quiet of Akashi's home. They sat by a window in the study, facing each other in silence as the soft clacks of shogi pieces filled the room.

"Akashi." Midorima interrupted softly, his fingertip hovering above his king. "I don't suppose you called me over just for this."

Although it was a common occurrence for Akashi to invite Midorima over for a friendly game of shogi, it was usually in Akashi's office during the afternoon or evening after work hours.

"No." Akashi replied without lifting his gaze from the board. "I just thought some mental stimulation would keep you on the edge, considering the nature of why I called you over."

 _I'm always on edge around you_ , Midorima almost wanted to say. Instead, he raised a brow and returned his hovering hand to his lap. Akashi withdrew his hand from the board after capturing a rook and placed it next to the board with a sharp clack.

"I'm going to launch an official inquest into the virus outbreak, and I'm placing you in charge of it, Shintarō." Akashi said finally, looking up to meet his eyes.

Midorima sat silently in mild shock for a moment or two, but quickly gathered his bearings. Although Akashi was never one to joke around, the lack of amusement in his expression and voice was unnerving.

"I understand." He responded calmly, betraying the slight perplexity settling in his chest.

Akashi gracefully brought the teacup to his lips and took a quiet sip. Midorima imitated the action, suddenly hesitant about speaking out of turn.

"The inquest is a mere formality. Although the period of investigation is currently indefinite, the true nature of your work will be a little more complicated than that." Akashi explained evenly, placing the cup down with a soft clink.

"Shintarō, your duty from hereon is to investigate the fate of the fourteen scientists who concocted the original virus under the late emperor's direct orders. You will lead a specialised team of researches and neurologists to bring a conclusion to the outbreak."

Midorima tightened his fists, his shoulders stiff with tension. "I'm surprised. I thought you were pining for a cure, Akashi." He said, his thoughts briefly turning grim at the thought of Kuroko's virus-riddled constitution.

A grim shadow passed over Akashi's face despite the stream of light bathing the room.

"We can never hope for a cure unless we uncover the origin." He said pensively, almost as if he was speaking to himself more than he was to Midorima. "Just as you can never truly understand a person unless you discover their history."

A strained hush settled upon them. No longer in the mood to mentally challenge himself further, Midorima made to stand just as the doorbell rung downstairs. He looked over at Akashi inquisitively, but was only met with a subtle gaze for him to follow quietly.

Akashi raised a hand to the touch-sensitive security panel and moved to open the door as a faint beep resounded throughout the house.

"Good morning, Tetsuya."

"Good morning, Akashi-kun. Midorima-kun too."

Midorima nodded to acknowledge Kuroko's greeting and moved aside to let him shuffle inside. Bidding a curt farewell to his two comrades, Midorima quickly excused himself to prepare for work. In truth, he didn't have to start the day for another two hours, but anything was better than being caught up in the strange, strange tension between Akashi and Kuroko.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Thank you, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said as settled into the plush sofa directly across from Akashi. "For keeping your word." He added quietly soon after.

Akashi nodded and watched as Kuroko took a tentative sip of a new brand of jasmine green tea. He took a long sip of his own black coffee.

"I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning." He said after a while, smiling softly at Kuroko's earnest nod. "Tell me, how much of the virus and our situation do you know?"

Kuroko remained silent for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. Akashi noticed his grip tighten around the polished clay mug, but kept it to himself.

"The D-virus was originally created under the direct order of my father, the late emperor." Kuroko began, steeling his gaze as he took a deep breath. "He had always talked of wanting to create a miracle that would unlock the full potential of a human's brain. However, he… quickly lost sight of himself, and everything around him. Upon his death, a traitorous alliance of noble houses took wrongful possession of the virus research and vanished alongside the scientists who had been working on it. The outbreak is thought to be their work."

Kuroko paused, then continued with a single nod from Akashi. "I wasn't aware there was a connection between the virus and yesterday's incident. However, I can now infer that it may have been the work of the original noble houses who stole the virus and turned against my father and the Empire."

Akashi took another sip of his coffee before leaving it to rest on the coffee table between them. He watched carefully as a flurry of subtle emotions welled up in Kuroko's steeled gaze.

"And you are correct to infer as such." He responded, lacing his hands together in his lap. "The public has long referred to the virus as the devil's whisper due to the nature of its symptoms."

"…The devil's whisper?" Kuroko repeated, tilting his head in confusion.

In the most peculiar display, Akashi opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He closed his eyes briefly before reopening them to meet Kuroko's eyes dead on.

"Once the virus enters your system, you slowly start to lose control over your gross motor skills and ability to discern how much strength goes into the most minimal, insignificant of actions. At the peak of its course, the virus infects the neurons in your brain and corrodes not only the body's self-healing abilities, but also all five of a human's senses."

Kuroko's eyes widened in horror as the colour drained from his face. Neither of the two made any indication to move even when the cup fell to the carpeted floor from Kuroko's slackened grip.

"In other words, victims give in to the tantalising whispers of the devil – the virus consumes your humanity, _your soul_ , in exchange for raw, primal strength."

Akashi paused, feeling his chest ache at the look of pure shock etched onto Kuroko's pale face. His mind descended into a minor bout of turmoil at the brief thought of Kuroko's reaction to his own condition – concurrently, only four people were aware of the virus coursing through Kuroko's veins, and the host himself was not one of them. The late emperor was a fool – an ambitious one, but a fool nonetheless; Kuroko's father had succeeded in creating a virus that reduced a human being to nothing less than a mindless demon.

"The people—" Kuroko said suddenly, his face pulled into a distressed frown as he made to stand. "The ones responsible for spreading the virus, who are they?"

Akashi stared at the murky, black coffee on the table as he responded. "The three houses of the fallen nobles; the Imayoshi Family, Hanamiya Family and Haizaki Family. The ones responsible for yesterday's carnage is the entire upper echelon of the Tōō division, whom happen to be devotees of the Imayoshi family."

Kuroko took a sharp intake of breath. His thoughts immediately clouded with concern for Aomine, the only person outsider closest to the members of Tōō. Noticing Kuroko's concern, Akashi simply shook his head with a stern look.

"You must understand, Tetsuya." He said, walking around to stand in front of Kuroko. He raised a hand to gently caress the side of the unnaturally pale face. "They're declaring war on the Empire. On us."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Two on-guard soldiers raised their arms to salute the approaching Major. With a dismissive wave, Mibuchi flashed them a smile and made long strides through the gates to the main building. With a prolonged sigh, he ran his hand through his hair as he closed his eyes to ward off a headache.

"Major Mibuchi, good afternoon!"

A large, uniform group approached the gates from their morning patrol. Mibuchi concealed his exhaustion and flashed another smile, waving politely.

"Good afternoon to you too, Captain Wakamatsu. Did something occur for you to be back so late?"

Wakamatsu responded with a gruff chuckle, quickly ordering the rest of his men to go ahead. His closest aide, Sakurai, remained diligently by his side.

"Yes, about that." He began casually, "There's something I wish to confide with you to hear your opinion on the matter. If it's alright with you, we could discuss this over lunch later today."

Mibuchi raised a brow, but readily agreed, responding that he had nothing to lose by helping a fellow comrade.

"Excellent. I shall see you at three."

* * *

Kuroko was surprisingly calm and collected.

Whatever it was that Akashi had been expecting from Kuroko, he certainly hadn't witnessed it in the duration of their lengthy talk. The soft-spoken man had easily overcome his initial shock, only to press Akashi for more clarification; more knowledge. Talking to Kuroko always accompanied an element of surprise—

"I must apologise for my blind ignorance, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said, lowering his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry for making you shoulder the burden of my father's foolish mistake. Please, let me make it up to you; let me make amends."

—and Kuroko never failed to go beyond his expectations, whether it be with words or course of action. With a smile, Akashi leaned over and pulled Kuroko in for an embrace, inhaling the fresh scent of rose shampoo and jasmine tea.

"Akashi-kun?" Though confused by the sudden intimacy, Kuroko reciprocated the action by wrapping his arms around Akashi's broad back.

Akashi closed his eyes at the pleasant warmth of their mingling body heat. Despite the unspoken gravity of the situation as a whole, Akashi couldn't help but savour each and every moment with Kuroko to the last second. Kuroko's warmth was inviting; it soothed him to the core on each occasion without fail.

Akashi had never once felt this way with anyone else.

"Thank you, Tetsuya." He responded after a while, their bodies pressed together on the sofa. "You can make it up to me by staying here tonight."

Kuroko nodded into his shoulder, his body relaxing as they leaned back into the comforters. Although there was a myriad of more questions lingering at the back of his mind, the proximity of their bodies dispelled those thoughts easily.

 _'What are we?'_ Kuroko almost wanted to ask, but he knew it wasn't the right time to be concerned about putting a label on their strange relationship. It could wait a little longer, he supposed.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _I'm actually real sorry about the overload of dialogue in this chapter, totally unintentional. But on the other hand, thank you for taking your time to read this week's instalment!_

 _All reviews are welcome with much love (and replied to if logged in). See you next chapter!_


	7. Chapter 7

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The second time Major Hayama came around to the colossal training field that morning, Akashi was standing on the wooden podium with his hands resting atop his brandished katana.

"Akashi!" He called out, jogging over in a hurry.

The red-haired general made no indication of acknowledgement, keeping his calculating gaze plastered on the training soldiers in the field. He didn't need to look at his subordinate to know what he was here for.

"Go right ahead, Major Hayama." He said with a faint quirk of his lips.

Hayama saluted and walked further up into the field, where pairs of soldiers were engaged in their usual bout of close combat and weaponry training. Further off in the distance, he spotted the familiar face he was looking for.

"Hey, Sakurai!" He called out enthusiastically, waving as he approached the surprised brunet. Sakurai hesitated for a brief moment before respectfully greeting the superior man with a salute.

"Good afternoon, Major Hayama. Um, what brings you here?" He hastily added an apology.

Hayama grinned and stated his business with earnestness – he was summoned for Imperial jury duty with Mibuchi, however said man was nowhere to be seen since he left for lunch with Captain Wakamatsu. Realising his words sounded accusatory, he quickly added that he certainly was not denoting that he was suspicious of them; he was only there to enquire.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know either." Sakurai responded meekly, bowing as he apologised a few times more. "Major Mibuchi left right after lunch because he said he had to prepare for jury duty."

Hayama groaned, voicing his annoyance at the effeminate man as Sakurai incessantly blurted out apologies.

"I went to the third dining hall and the guards told me Reo-nee was inside because they hadn't seen him leave, but he wasn't anywhere inside!" Hayama said with a sigh, pouting. He looked over at Sakurai, who had grown quiet for a split second.

Their conversation quickly ended with a round of apologies as Akashi's booming voice called for their attention.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Although it came as a common occurrence considering his position in their line of work, Akashi never quite liked dealing with confidential information. Especially if it was to be presented to him all at once like a gourmet feast on a silver platter. It wasn't that it was particularly difficult to swallow or hard to digest, nor was it particularly unpleasant. It was simply taxing in a way that made him desperately crave the tranquillity of Kuroko's presence.

He carefully examined the documents and files of classified information sitting atop the mahogany table before him. Minutes ticked by, as the atmosphere in the room remained thick with a stagnant silence, speaking of an unspoken vow to remain hushed as he worked through the information.

Seated around the glass-topped coffee table towards the left of the room, three others waited patiently and silently for the red-haired general to break the suffocating silence. Eventually, the quaint sound of paper tapping against polished wood reverberated throughout the brightly lit office. Akashi rose from his chair and joined his guests on the velvet furniture with files in hand.

"Everything in order, General Akashi?" Supreme Commander Shirogane asked. There wasn't a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I must digress." he replied. "The proximal margin of our research is quite disconcerting, to say in the least."

Shirogane hunched forward a degree or two, nodding once in agreement. Sitting adjacent to the commander, his advisor Nijimura stared back at Akashi inquisitively. Sitting across from the two, Colonel Midorima adjusted the rim of his glasses and turned to Akashi with tight lips.

"It's as you say, Akashi. We cannot further our investigation without freedom of research."

Nijimura looked between the two and settled his gaze on Midorima. "Yet, we cannot compromise our integrity for that freedom."

Everyone returned their attention to Akashi just as a decisive silence fell upon them once more. Akashi returned the attention equally as he splayed the files out on the table.

"We shall wait for the expedition report." He said, his impassive façade leaving no room for feelings. "In a weeks time, the specialised expedition squad will reach their deadline for their two-month mission. Should they fail to return by then, the mission will be deemed a failure."

Unspoken words lingered in the air as the Shirogane stood to leave with Nijimura in tow – if the expedition squad failed to return within the week following the deadline, they would ultimately be deemed traitors unless their bodies turned up somewhere to prove their deaths.

Nobody entertained the mortifying thought.

* * *

A shaky groan sounded in the concrete-walled chamber.

When Major Mibuchi forced open his heavy eyelids, the first thing he noticed was how muzzy his head felt. He almost felt as if his body was swaying on a rickety boat from the sheer disorientation he was experiencing.

"Oh, awake now are you?"

Pulling himself off the cold, hard concrete, Mibuchi placed a hand against his head and glared at the perpetrator who had most likely drugged his food.

"Captain Wakamatsu, what is the meaning of this?" He asked in a raspy voice, as calmly as he could.

Captain Wakamatsu sported a twisted grin, his face lighting up in amusement akin to that of a fascinated child stepping on a snail.

"Real sorry about the rough treatment." He said without a drop of remorse in his expression or tone. He stood up from the lone chair in the far right corner of the room and sauntered over, deliberately toying with the sheathed sword on his waist. "That aside, I'll have you answer some questions for me."

"Finally showing your true colours?" Mibuchi asked, running a hand through his hair.

Wakamatsu scowled, stomping forward with his left foot. He pulled back his right leg and slammed the tip of his shoe into Mibuchi's stomach.

"Watch your mouth, nobody asked you to talk." He spat, watching the man hunch forward instantly, most likely in pain. Mibuchi remained silent, only glaring up at Wakamatsu through the unkempt fringe of his hair.

"Well then, I'm terribly sorry, Captain Wakamatsu." Mibuchi said light-heartedly, a pleased sneer finding its way on his face.

The scowl marring Wakamatsu's face looked as if it was quickly turning into a permanent facial feature. Although, it may just have been the gloom of shadows casted by the harsh, fluorescent lighting. Spitting out a string of incomprehensible curses, Wakamatsu threw back another scowl and left the room for a moment.

Mibuchi took this chance to try and will away the grogginess clouding his mind and body. Noticing he couldn't move his legs, he looked down and realised they were bound together with a rope at his ankle.

 _How distasteful_ , he mused.

Before he could entertain any more thoughts, Wakamatsu slinked back in with his loyal aide, Sakurai. What transpired in the next plot of time was nothing more and nothing less of an interrogation session – of course, that didn't exclude the 'stray' acts of unwarranted violence.

"Mibuchi-san, you're only making it harder on yourself by staying silent." Sakurai said politely. Mibuchi could detect a trace of hidden anger in his voice. "We simply want to know more about Kuroko-sama, and also perhaps, his connection with General Akashi."

"Perhaps I would've divulged that information had you not turned against the Empire. Unfortunately to say, I have no intention of fuelling your futile plans." Mibuchi scoffed, staring down the two men towering above him.

Mibuchi's silent professed more than his single-minded loyalty. It was not his loyalty to the Empire that fuelled his being – no, that was nothing more than surface appearance. His loyalty had always and would always lie with Akashi, and only Akashi.

"How dare—!"

"Now, now. I suppose a fool like you wouldn't be able to comprehend Imayoshi-san's grand schemes." Wakamatsu said with a grin, motioning for Sakurai to stay pacified.

"Oh? Do tell."

"What's the point?" He replied lowly, "Imayoshi-san is working towards the greater good of our fallen nation, and he doesn't need dogs of the Empire in his way. Just answer our questions about Prince Kuroko and we can all go back to our peaceful lives."

Wakamatsu twisted his body with a motion Mibuchi recognised as an incoming kick to the gut. His face pulled together in disgust, Mibuchi steeled himself and prepared for the blow, only for it to fall flat along with the room's door.

"Reo-nee!"

"Yo, lookin' good there!"

With a groan, Mibuchi shook his head. "Geez, what took you two so long? You shouldn't keep a lady waiting!"

The Tōō duo whipped their heads around in shock, their expressions growing dark with displeasure. Hayama and Nebuya strolled in without a care in the world, both sporting confidence, and perhaps arrogance.

"Well, this is a surprise." Wakamatsu commented casually with a smirk, despite the situation. "I guess this is your cue to say the jig is up?"

Hayama rushed over to Mibuchi and cut off the ropes with ease, allowing the raven-haired man to stretch and flex his legs for good measure. Slipping a hand into his dusty coat, Mibuchi pulled out a slim smartphone that came alive with a single tap, reading 'call time: 00:46:32'. With a flip of his hair, he engaged in a casual conversation with Hayama about the pathetic excuse of a kick he was subjected to endure.

"Honestly, that darling just doesn't hold a candle to Sei-chan. It was rather cute, I guess."

Nebuya guffawed, slapping a hand against his back.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _'Honestly, that darling just doesn't hold a candle to Sei-chan. It was rather cute, I guess.'_

Akashi's mouth curled into a smirk as a single phrase entered his mind – _checkmate_. He listened on as the traitorous duo began taunting his subordinates about reinforcements.

 _'We felled the north-eastern tower with Imayoshi-san's virus-enhanced troops and we'll do it again. Just you watch.'_

 _'So he says, Sei-chan. What ever shall we do?'_

Having learnt to long ignore the strange nickname, Akashi hummed in amusement as he swivelled around in his chair to face his phone lying atop his table.

"I'd love to be there myself, but unfortunately, prioritised business calls for my undivided attention. I'm sure Daiki and the others will be there to assist you very soon."

 _'Roger that.'_

* * *

"Tetsuya?"

It didn't exactly help that the fair, azure-haired prince wasn't answering his calls, but an instinctive feeling had him walking through the open-aired indoor garden in search of the elusive man. The distinct sound of sloshing water caught his attention, and true enough, he found Kuroko kicking his bare feet around in a shallow pool of crystal clear water.

"Good afternoon, Akashi-kun."

Akashi smiled. With Kuroko's personal bodyguards busy with work, this was indeed, prioritised business.

"I hope you haven't been here all day." He said, seating himself next to Kuroko on the cool surface of the rock. He glanced down at Kuroko's bare legs and noticed the red ribbon with bells tied around his milky thighs – most likely to prevent them from getting wet.

"No, I came up here just a while ago when Kise-kun and the others left." Kuroko responded flatly, turning to Akashi with a small smile. "You should try dipping your feet in too, Akashi-kun. It feels nice."

Akashi studied the glimmering surface of the water for a moment. Although he had half the mind to refuse for various reasons, Kuroko's tranquillity overpowered those lingering thoughts easily. He slowly slipped off his shoes and socks and rolled his trousers up to his knees. Quietly, he dipped his feet into the pool and relished the pleasant feeling for a while.

"Are they dealing with Wakamatsu-san?"

Akashi didn't bother looking up to see Kuroko's face, knowing it would only be staring at the water with a mask of indifference. He gave a non-committal 'yeah' in response, letting the conversation die down. Surprisingly, Kuroko persisted on the topic.

"Let me guess," He said suddenly, catching Akashi's attention. "They're after the royal bloodline, or something equally as cliché."

Instead of chuckling as he usually have would, Akashi stared silently at their wading feet.

"Cliché as it may be, it stands true for us. Though for what reason, I can only guess."

"Then, what is your guess?"

Akashi turned his head to the right to face Kuroko, but paused in mild shock when he realised how close their faces were. Kuroko's unblinking eyes peered up at him curiously.

"Akashi-kun?" He called out softly, tilting his head a degree or two.

Placing a hand on Kuroko's warm cheek, Akashi felt his entire being relax with a surge of happiness when Kuroko happily leaned into his touch. Zoning in on the plump, pink lips only centimetres away from his own, he wanted to lean down and feel them once more.

"I suppose they presume you hold some sort of answer to unlocking the secrets of the virus." _Even though it isn't that simple_ , he added quietly.

"As I thought, Akashi-kun thinks so too?" Kuroko asked, his voice soft with a hint of sadness.

Something about Kuroko's tone of voice triggered unwelcome flashbacks in his mind – unforgettable events that lead to the previous king's demise, unfortunate events that lead to his own father's demise, and more recently, events incurred by the traitors that lead to numerous deaths. And more importantly, the events that gave way to the worst possible backdrop for their unfortunate first kiss.

On a personal note, Akashi wasn't particularly a romanticist and did not really care for such trivialities. Kuroko, however, was definitely the sentimental type of romanticist. And for him, such a morbid experience was most definitely going to haunt him later on as it had predominantly that night.

Despite the pressing matter of traitorous allies at hand, despite the compromised safety of the man sitting next to him, and despite himself, Akashi couldn't think of anything else other than making things right – and that's exactly what he was going to do.

"Tetsuya." He said in almost a whisper, unaware that Kuroko had been studying his face for the past few moments.

"Yes?"

Holding back on any more words, Akashi let his eyes drop as he drew their faces close enough for their lips to touch. Kuroko felt his eyes widen involuntarily at the sudden action, but quickly fluttered them to a close when he felt Akashi's reassuring hand bring his face closer.

Akashi slowly began nibbling and licking at Kuroko's bottom lip, eliciting a surprised gasp. Feeling himself drawn in closer to the pleasant heat, Kuroko shuffled closer to Akashi somewhat awkwardly and placed his hands on his shoulders. He felt his lips being pried apart by Akashi's tongue, and reciprocated the action without much resistance.

"A-Akashi-kun…" He muttered softly, just as their lips separated for a split second.

Akashi responded by dipping his head lower to intertwine their tongues, slowly but feverishly exploring Kuroko's small mouth. Kuroko's soft moans mingled in the air around them along with the wet smacking of their lips, and for a while it was just the sound of their heated kiss and the occasional slosh of water by their feet.

"My apologies." Akashi murmured breathily as they drew apart, "I kissed you without asking for your permission, again. I hope you don't mind, Tetsuya."

A faint blush dusted across Kuroko's cheeks.

"Not at all, Akashi-kun." He responded with a wide smile, feeling his gaze soften at the pool of warm emotions swimming in Akashi's ruby eyes.

There were unspoken questions and answers lingering in the air between them, but neither felt the need to bring those thoughts to light. Not when it was just them and the world, even if only for that moment.

"Thank you." Kuroko said eventually, leaning up to place a chaste kiss on Akashi's lips.

If Akashi had been surprised by Kuroko's sudden display of affection, it most certainly didn't make itself known on his surface appearance. Only, he felt his heart flutter and melt all at once. Tentatively, he lowered the hand cupping Kuroko's cheek and gently pressed it against the powder red robes where his stomach was.

"Everything will be alright, Tetsuya." He said softly, holding back a frown. A dark, chaotic scene flashed before his eyes; a grisly memory of Kuroko's cold, frigid body lying prone on a surgical bed. "For as long as I have the power to, I will make things right. That, I am sure of."

Kuroko brought his hands down to trap Akashi's hand against his body, suddenly feeling a slight surge of panic at the guilt and remorse barely hidden in the redhead's voice. With the squeeze of his hand to ensure that he appreciated the sentiment, he offered the warmest smile he could muster at that given moment.

"As long as Akashi-kun stays by my side, there is nothing I fear." _So please don't say anything like that again_.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Whew, that was a blast."

Midorima scoffed at the tanned male flexing his shoulders by the doorway and silently muttered 'battle-crazy fool' under his breath. Reminding himself to ignore his other rambunctious comrades filing into the room, he continuously tapped away at his tablet to record and update numerous files and reports on their directed activities.

"What now, do we go help clean up or something?" Kise asked, shedding his soiled coat.

"No. Akashi has issued strict orders to leave the entire clean-up process to Unit Two as part of their punishment. Unit One is to file in individual reports by midnight." Midorima said without so much a glance at the others.

A collective bout of childish whines and groans filled the room.

"Man, why does Akashi get to kick back and relax while we do this boring shit?" Aomine complained, begrudgingly sitting down in front of a desktop PC on the far side of the room.

"I thought Aka-chin had other business to attend to. Forgot what it was though." Murasakibara interjected, munching on a corn snack as he plopped down next to Aomine.

"Don't be ridiculous. If anything, Akashi is more work-orientated than all of us combined." Midorima said without much thought, filing in one of ten mandatory reports through Akashi's private server.

Kise hummed in agreement, pulling out a laptop from a shelf on the other side of the room. "Right? There's no way Akashicchi would be slacking when we just slayed a horde of infected soldiers."

"Gah, this is so annoying! Oi, Kise, which cell did we throw those two assholes into?"

"How could you forget? You were the one who put them in there, Aominecchi! But it's cell ten and eighteen."

It was going to be one long night.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Akashi-kun, don't you have work to get back to?"

"Personally ensuring your safety is admirable work in itself, Prince Kuroko."

Kuroko half-heartedly glared at the taller man for the sarcastic jibe, but made no effort to move from their current position – tangled up in each other's arms on the soft grass, basking in gentle rays of sunlight.

"You're warm." Akashi murmured, wrapping his arms tighter around Kuroko's smaller frame.

Kuroko sighed, giving into Akashi's desire to take a quick nap. "Even if Midorima-kun gets angry and swamps you with work later, I'm not going to help."

"How cruel." Akashi replied lightly with a chuckle, "Then I'll just have to make the most of our time now."

Even if for only a moment, Akashi wanted to forget about all his upcoming meetings and mandatory conferences, and _especially_ the mountain of reports and paperwork that was inevitably waiting for him in his office. And for that, Kuroko was just the solution.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Big, big thanks to my reviewers for their support! It really helps motivate me to continue with frequent updates (or so I think it's frequent?). Also, thank you to everyone else who fav/followed or is simply reading this to pass time! See you next chapter!_

 _( CLARIFICATION: Akashi here is 'oreshi'. He is on a (one-sided) first-name basis only with Kuroko and the GoM to signify his deep trust and respect for them- you may or may not have noticed how he refers to everyone else with their title position and surname.)_

P.S. _If you haven't already, take a look at my recent oneshot here or over at Ao3 (Kuroko no Harem, kind of nsfw)._


	8. Chapter 8

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Warning: This chapter contains (mild) descriptions of violence, gore and blood.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

In the days following Tōō's betrayal, a stagnant tension engulfed the Empire.

Kise, for one, was one of many whom felt unsettled from recent events. From their strategic loss of the north-eastern tower to the farmhouse incident, not a single soul believed they were merely coincidental. He knew things were bound to spiral down a little further before it would improve at all.

He only wondered how everyone else was faring on the inside.

The soft tinkling of bells resounded down the carpeted hallway, instantly lifting the sullen mood that had his heart and mind brooding. He turned on his heel and felt the most natural smile slip onto his lips.

"Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko looked indifferent as always, but Kise could see the faint curve of his lips. They were alone in the hall.

"I apologise for making you wait, Kise-kun." Kuroko said, walking in pace with Kise down the hall to the rear courtyard. "I went back to change because it was colder than I had anticipated."

Kise offered his arm for Kuroko to take as they reached a descending flight of stairs.

"If that's the case, we can always stay inside for the afternoon." He suggested, pausing mid-flight. They resumed their original path outside after Kuroko politely declined.

The overcast sky was growing darker by the minute, and Kise knew there was going to be a heavy shower later that day. The weather hadn't appeared to put a dampener on Kuroko's mood however, and Kise couldn't help but push aside his worry in light of that.

Kuroko definitely knew what was going on. Despite the sensitivity of their recent situation, there was no possible way Akashi was going to keep such secrets from him – Kuroko probably wouldn't forgive any of them, in fact. Again, his thoughts wound back to the recent tension unfolding.

Surprisingly, nobody around them appeared to be too worried or concerned about it all – himself included. Most likely, this was due to a temporary peace brought about by their usual lives; brought about by Kuroko's reassuring presence.

"Kise-kun, look. The dogbane flowers are in full bloom." Kuroko said, a wondrous tone lacing his voice. Kise looked at the small buds of white flowers and noticed it carried a faint mint scent.

"I've read that these flowers are poisonous to livestock, and are used to repel dogs and cats." Kuroko explained, gently cupping one in his palm. "They appear so harmless, but they carry such a heavy meaning."

Kise questioned him, detecting signs of distress in Kuroko's flat voice.

"They represent falsehood and deception." He said simply.

Kise laughed, but not because he found it amusing. Kuroko didn't comment otherwise.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They stood at once when Akashi entered the room, accompanied only by the sound of rustling clothes.

"Take a seat."

The men did so as they were told, filling the room with sounds of chairs creaking and clothes rustling. A neat stack of documents landed on the table with a dull thud, and they looked up at Akashi for an explanation.

"Before we begin, I'd like you all to find your personal file and check over the details. If all stands correct, sign the top of the page along with the date. If there is something amiss, mark it and I will see to it later."

Some looked at him quizzically, but nobody voiced their thoughts. It was unusual, for sure, but not unheard of. They had done it many times before in their younger years. Only, they didn't see the point of it now.

They sat around quietly until everyone had returned their signed documents to Midorima, who took the liberty of setting them aside in the empty seat between Akashi and himself. Participating in the meeting was: Akashi's personal aides, unit one; Majors Mibuchi and Hayama of unit two, representative captains of each division as well as officials who worked directly under the supreme commander.

"Let us commence the meeting."

Midorima stood to address the main agenda and sat back down to allow Akashi to take control. Surprisingly, however, Aomine was the first to speak.

"So what're we doing with those Tōō folks?" He asked, uncaring of how crude his brusque way of talking sounded. The others looked back at Akashi, who gazed back impassively without an issue.

"The Tōō division will be purged." There were a few gasps in response. "Every last member will be re-evaluated and re-designated to different divisions. In the case of suspicion with treason, they will undergo a second series of assessments to determine the final decision."

A few questions asking for elaboration were raised, and Akashi replied swiftly without batting an eye. If there was one thing to be brought to attention, it was that Akashi never ceased to amaze with his unwavering, absolute code of conduct and leadership – something that was unanimously respected within their ranks.

The meeting continued in a similar fashion, Akashi holding a calculating and composed expression all the while. When one of Shirogane's officials raised a question about the specialised expedition squad, Akashi showed the slightest hint of wavering; or rather, no hint at all.

"The expedition team is due at midnight tomorrow, yet there have been no reports from our off-site communication points." One with jet-black hair explained. Akashi nodded in agreement but withheld his opinion. Midorima, for one, took that as an unwelcome sign of hesitation. When the others down the table began quietly murmuring amongst themselves, he took the chance to ask the redhead.

"Most likely, the expedition squad will not return. I am simply thinking of countermeasures for every scenario." Akashi responded equally as quietly.

Midorima pursed his lips and nodded grimly, exchanging a somewhat sullen look with Mibuchi across the table. With another glance at Akashi, he stood to acquire attention once more, but was interrupted by a series of rapid knocks at the door.

"We are in a meeting. Unless it's urgent, leave." Midorima said sternly.

The knocking ceased, and the muffled voice from behind spoke with a well-conveyed urgency. "There's been a code black emergency; Commander Shirogane has been attacked at the outermost checkpoint!"

Following a split second silence, cries of shock and distress filled the room. Shirogane's officials, especially, were frantic. Someone at the end of the table opened the door, and the flustered face of a well-recognised messenger greeted them with a quick overview.

"It's them, those traitorous nobles! We should've put them in their place while we had the chance!"

"How the hell did they even bypass our defences?"

Just as the noise in the room escalated to a tumultuous level, an alarmingly loud voice silenced the room in an instant.

"Enough!" Akashi vociferated, eyes narrowed in displeasure at the unbecoming behaviour of his men. He ordered them to sit at once, dismissing the messenger back to his post. His eyes flitted over to the empty seat beside him for a moment before he turned to Kise.

"Ryōta, where is where is Tetsuya?"

"Uh, Kurokocchi should be in the library upstairs." The dark look of concern in Kise's golden orbs explained all that Akashi needed to know; Kuroko had personally requested to sit this meeting, but hadn't turned up. There was only one reason why.

"Very well. Ryōta, you are to remain with Tetsuya until you receive further contact from me." Akashi turned to the other side. "Atsushi, accompany Captain Himuro and his men to guard the prison chambers. I will send someone down to fetch you later. Shintarō and Daiki, we will go see to the situation at once. Everyone else will resume work without a word, understood?"

A series of affirmative responses resounded before the shuffle of feet thundered down the hall.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kuroko fell deaf to his words as soon as he spilled the details. They were in the library archives, and it was all Kise could do to not yawn out in boredom. He watched curiously as Kuroko's lithe figure moved about, pulling various folders off the shelves as he moved them back to a large drawing desk.

Kise decided to ask him what he was doing; "Kurokocchi, what are you doing with all those files? Are you sure you're feeling fine now?"

Kuroko ignored him for a moment as he opened an inconspicuous black folder. Kise asked again, and this time, he received a sigh and a glance.

"I'm worried about Akashi-kun." He replied. Kise raised his brows in surprise and scooted closer. "And yes, I feel perfectly fine."

"Akashicchi?"

Kuroko nodded. "Akashi-kun has always acquired victory by predicting and reading the movement of his enemies. That's why I'm worried about him, Kise-kun."

Kise furrowed his brows this time, reflecting on the truth in Kuroko's words. He drew up a blank, so he turned back to Kuroko for answers.

"It is very unlike Akashi-kun to allow the enemy to get the better of us like this. And for one, I'm certain that he's planning something that we are unaware of. I have a bad feeling about this all."

Kise bit his lower lip, coming to a realisation what Kuroko was trying to do. And at the thought, his respect for the blue-haired man rose immensely. "But aside from Akashicchi, nobody can even begin to fathom what's going to happen." He said.

"Yes, we cannot. That's why in the least, I want to know what Akashi-kun is thinking."

* * *

The sky roared asunder as it punctured through with pellets of rain. Footsteps muffled by the rain crossed the wrenched gateway as an overturned car billowed with fumes. Akashi stopped and ordered Midorima to see to Shirogane's injuries as the distant sound of ambulance sirens wailed down the city.

"Daiki." Akashi said, peering up in concentration from the hood of his black rain-resistant coat. "Three at ten o' clock, two at twelve o clock. Round them up."

Without being told twice, Aomine took off in the direction of an incomplete wooden barricade shrouded by overgrown trees. He pulled on his right glove and curled his hand into a tight fist before pulling it back and smashing it down onto the soaked wood. Resounding cracks overpowered the pelting rain for a moment as shocked cries of pain flew out from behind. Three hooded men scrambled to their feet and pointed their handguns at him, resembling nothing more than pathetically cornered pups.

"Too late." Aomine's grin was almost feral. He pulled back his fist once more and with a twist, buried it in the first man's lower torso, sending him flying back onto his other comrade. When they landed with a crash, the other men in hiding came out and reached for their guns.

He noticed someone at the back pull out what looked like a communication device. He clicked his tongue and struck the third assailant square in the face before shooting off as he pulled out his own handgun.

"Agh, y-you bastard—!" The device exploded in his hands and tore the flesh apart.

It took no more than a few seconds until he had all five assailants rounded up on their knees under the battering rain and thunder. A formation of heavily armed guards stood behind them, blocking any chance of escape.

"Damn this rain." Aomine grumbled, scowling as he pulled the hood of his coat lower. Akashi spared him a side-glance, commending his swift work with a single, emotionless word.

The ambulance arrived at the scene with the abrupt pause of its wailing siren. Akashi spared a glance at the unconscious commander being wheeled into the vehicle before turning his attention to the trembling men kneeling before him. He ignored the buzz of his phone in his pocket.

Aomine stood off to the side, making brief eye contact with Midorima as he boarded the ambulance. When he turned his attention back to Akashi, his breath hitched and eyes widened in shock.

Standing straight with the pride of the General he was, Akashi looked down at the men indifferently, akin to that of a man looking at a dying insect. A dark, menacing shadow settled on the shade of his face. However, what caught Aomine's attention were the eyes.

Akashi's crimson red eyes glowed with an unnatural gleam. His left eye was no longer red; it was flickering dangerously between the natural red hue and a bright, glowing gold.

"You will answer me without delay." Akashi settled his gaze on the man with the bloodied hand, the gold hue in his eye dimming then glowing again as if it was struggling to emerge. "What were your orders?"

The man grit his teeth and spat, challenging Akashi with a furious glare. "Fuck off. Nobody's gonna listen to the likes of you, shorty."

Aomine gathered his bearings and narrowed his eyes, mentally shaking his head.

Akashi reached for his katana and unlocked it with a sharp clink. Without further warning, he drew the blade in a clean, curved sweep and decapitated him. A gushing spurt of blood spilled everywhere – on the ground, on his body, and on the rapidly paling faces of his kneeling comrades. Nobody made a move or sound as the severed head rolled onto the ground with a dull thud.

"Shame."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kuroko checked and double-checked the information before him with trembling hands. He could vaguely hear Kise's concerned voice ringing in his ears, but he couldn't make out the words. A queasy, stabbing pain settled in his stomach.

Kuroko flicked through the information, statistics and reports one final time. He finally had an idea of what Akashi was most likely thinking, and if he was correct in his assumption, Akashi's next move was not going to sit well with anyone.

 _'I have to stop him.'_ But as he made to stand, the stabbing pain in his stomach struck him hard. He doubled over.

"—Kurokocchi?!" Kise shot up from his seat and steadied him.

A strained gasp slipped out of his mouth as he curled his hands on the edge of the desk. A crippling pain coursed through his body and pooled in his stomach and lower torso; it drummed viciously inside his body and cramped in erratic intervals.

"Kurokocchi, please take a deep breath and stay with me!" Perplexed and startled, Kise placed a hand on Kuroko's back and patiently waited for him to come around.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Kuroko's pale face. "I-It's okay, Kise-kun. More importantly, Akashi-kun… we need to stop Akashi-kun—"

Kise furrowed his brows in confusion, but quickly felt a surge of irritation wash over him instead. Kuroko was doubling over in obvious agony, yet his own pain was the last thing on his mind.

"No, you're not alright! We need to get you some help first, Kurokocchi." Kise said with a shout, easing Kuroko onto the floor before straightening up. "Wait here, I'll be back real quick with some help."

In a panic, Kuroko raised his arm and caught the back of Kise's coat in a vice grip. He let go with laboured breaths when the blond man returned to his side.

"No." He choked out, mustering the strength to look into Kise's eyes. "Please… don't. I'll be fine."

Kise wanted to shout out in frustration and worry all at once, but the strong, unwavering gaze in Kuroko's eyes caught him off guard. He ran a hand through his hair, releasing a heavy, pent-up sigh.

"Kurokocchi, please understand that my main priority is your health and safety. I can't just ignore this."

Kuroko bit his lip and nodded weakly, gripping his stomach with white knuckles. "In my room, there's…. medicine." He spoke in a whisper, feeling his vision blur with black spots.

In an instant, Kise was sprinting down the hall with Kuroko in his arms.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"A-argh…fuck—!"

It was the sound of a baseball bat snapping cleanly in half – although instead of a bat, it was a human bone. A cold, bloodied body lay facedown on the pavement next to the man clutching his deformed arm, howling in agony.

"I will not repeat myself twice. Speak."

The man said nothing, too caught up in his own pain. Aomine couldn't help but wince at the scene, glancing at the remaining two men shaking and sobbing with uninhibited fear.

"Daiki." Akashi said suddenly, "I'll leave the rest to you." And with that, the redhead motioned for two nearby soldiers to drag along the man with the broken arm. They stepped into a large, black van and took off without so much as another word.

With a sigh, Aomine removed the hood off his head and let the rain pour down his face. The kneeling men stared up at him in blank fear. He hated to do this, he really did.

"See ya."

The roars of two gunshots were all but muffled by the thundering storm.

 **.**

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* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Apologies for the delay; updates will resume according to schedule from next week. The next chapter starts off exactly where this chapter ends, so please look forward to that! Thank you for reading and please leave a review if you have time. See you next chapter!_


	9. Chapter 9

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Warning: Mentioned character death and a hell of a lot of angst.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 **From** : Kise Ryōta

 **Sub** : Kurokocchi

Akashicchi, it's terrible! Kurokocchi is in so much pain, he just passed out!

What do I do? There's medicine but he won't be able to take it… oh god, I'm so worried!

 _Message received at 15:23:45_

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 **.**

 **.**

 **From** : Kise Ryōta

 **Sub** : Update

Just an update for you, Akashicchi! Kurokocchi woke up to take some medicine and now he's sleeping. I don't know what's going on anymore but please hurry back! Kurokocchi doesn't look too good.

 _Message received at 15:56:21_

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 **.**

 **From** : Akashicchi

 **Sub** : Re: Update

Ensure Tetsuya takes one pill every six hours for the next three days. I will be busy for a while; so do not wait up. Daiki and Atsushi will update you in my stead.

 _Message received at 18:23:02_

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When Himuro walked into the staff lounge at the containment facility, the last thing he had expected to see was Akashi sitting back with a mug of coffee. Although the term containment facility was just a pretty name for the chamber cells, the general was by far the worst offender when it came to deceptive appearances.

Himuro saluted once and politely enquired. "I take that everything went well, General?"

Akashi responded nonchalantly, taking a long sip of his coffee. "Of course. Caught one and tossed him into the black room."

Having acquired his own cup of coffee, Himuro paused and stared at the general in astonishment.

"I see."

Named as the black room due to its torturous ability to cancel out a human's five senses, in truth it was nothing more than a convenient way to break a prisoner's mind to get them to talk. In the cramped, dark confines of the black room, prisoners would first lose all concept of time and soon descend into an inevitable spiral of madness. It was psychological torture at its finest.

For Akashi to send a prisoner to the black room, however, was a rare occurrence. The general's uncanny ability to intimidate people would usually squeeze out information without the need for torture.

"I've sent Atsushi back for the day. You're free to go too." Akashi said evenly, taking another long sip of his coffee as Himuro simply nodded and excused himself for the day.

Akashi remained seated, ignoring the buzzing of his phone as he poured himself another cup of bitter, black coffee. It was only a matter of time until he would acquire the information he required without lifting a finger. For a brief moment, the hue in his left eye flickered to a bright gold, but disappeared as quick as it appeared.

* * *

For a long time, all he could see was the endless stretch of darkness wrapped around him. It was stagnant and suffocating, but strangely comforting. Occasionally, he would hear familiar voices ringing out in the distance, but they faded as soon as he tried to make out the words.

More often times than not, he could hear himself talking, but he hadn't a clue what he was saying himself.

The darkness consumed him once more, and before he lost consciousness, he heard a voice speak. It was saying something, a name.

'—Tetsuya?'

Perhaps it was his name?

 **.**

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 **.**

When Kuroko awoke, the alarm clock by his bed read noon.

He rolled over in the bed and pushed himself up into a sitting position, alarmed at how stiff his muscles felt. He massaged his arms for a while before the door to his room opened with two loud knocks. Kise entered the room, his face exhausted and slightly sullen. Kuroko studied him for a moment before voicing his concern.

"Good afternoon, Kise-kun. Is everything alright?" Kise's face lit up and he immediately rushed over for a hug. Kuroko indulged him for two whole seconds before he started losing breath.

"Please get off, I can't breathe."

Kise squeezed him tightly one last time before pulling away, offering a bottle of water. Kuroko raised a brow, unsure how to react. Beyond Kise's usual clinginess was something he could only decipher as desperation or relief.

"Sorry, Kurokocchi! But it's hard to hold back after a whole week, you know?"

Still trapped in a post-sleep haze, Kuroko simply blinked out the last remnants of sleep and nodded. He heard Kise ask if he was hungry, and only then did the blond man's words register in his mind. The sleep was gone from his entire being in an instant.

"Wait, what did you just say?" He asked, eyes widening just a fraction. He felt the pace of his heartbeat pick up.

Kise titled his head in confusion, visibly alarmed at Kuroko's panicked expression. He slinked down into a chair by the right side of the bed and repeated himself.

"I just asked if you were hungry, Kurokocchi. Since you only woke to eat a few times during the past week, you must be starving!"

Only then did Kuroko realise he wasn't as hungry as a weeklong starved man should've felt. Only then, did he realise he had slept for a week and was without memory of the few instances he was awake. A trickle of fear sent a shiver down his spine; he had an unnatural memory lapse. Normally, one would have enough consciousness to wake up to eat.

A week.

Suddenly, the door flew open with a loud bang and Aomine entered the room. Kuroko snapped out of his stupor and greeted him politely, slightly grimacing at the heaviness of Aomine's hand on his head.

"What's up, Aominecchi?" Kise asked, pulling Kuroko back his way with a pout.

Aomine raised a brow and scowled, yanking Kuroko back to the centre of the bed closer to himself. "Your voice was loud enough to hear from outside, idiot." Kise grinned sheepishly.

"—So, where's Akashicchi?"

All of a sudden, Kuroko jolted in between them. Aomine voiced his concern, but Kuroko ignored the question and fired back his own. His expression was calm and impassive as always, but a wavering gleam of uneasiness was clear in his eyes.

"What happened while I was out?"

Kise looked over at Aomine, but he only shrugged in response. Clasping Kuroko's right hand in his own, Kise squeezed it for good measure and began recounting the week's events. He told him everything from Shirogane's stable condition in hospital down to the disposal of the Tōō division. Kuroko listened silently the whole time, nodding a few times when Kise paused his explanation.

"What about Akashi-kun?" He asked finally, noticing Aomine shuffle nervously beside him.

Kise close his mouth shut in hesitation. "Akashicchi is—"

"You will hear from Akashi very soon." A voice said from the doorway.

Kuroko's face lit up just the slightest. "Midorima-kun."

Midorima nodded and walked over, handing a small black device to Aomine. He murmured some instructions Kuroko couldn't quite pick up on, and Aomine promptly left after ruffling his bed hair fondly one last time.

"It's been a while, Kuroko." Midorima said. Kuroko smiled in response, unsure how to reply otherwise.

"Midorimacchi, what was that about Akashicchi?" Kise asked after their exchange. He had only recently learnt from Takao that he and Midorima were childhood friends with Kuroko. It was strange, nonetheless. Midorima opened his mouth to talk, but was swiftly interrupted by a familiar chime from the speakers in the hallway.

 _'Attention all personnel, General Akashi has called for an audience in the grand hall. This is non-negotiable. Please make your way to the grand hall immediately. I repeat—'_

Kise and Kuroko glanced up at Midorima quizzically, expecting some sort of explanation.

"You heard the announcement." Midorima said once the announcement ended, "Kuroko, your presence is required on stage so we must make haste to get you ready. Kise, fetch Murasakibara and head over first. I will accompany Kuroko."

Kise nodded and flashed a smile before leaving the room. Kuroko stared at his hands lying limp in his lap, absent-minded at the onslaught of things occurring too soon after he awoke. As Midorima made to the door to call in the maids, Kuroko quickly tossed the cover aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Midorima-kun, what's going on?" Kuroko asked, despite having a fairly good idea himself. "I know Kise-kun deliberately left out some details. Please tell me what's happening."

Midorima turned to glance at him, but he only pursed his lips with a frown. When the maids shuffled in with a rack of colourful robes, he simply said he'd be waiting outside.

* * *

The grand hall was bustling with the low murmurs of hundreds upon hundreds of men and women – everyone from high-ranking soldiers to regular staff and medical aids. From his position at the end of Seirin's orderly line in the dead centre of the large room, Captain Hyuuga could see the familiar faces of every other division lined up on the other side of the aisle. It was a peculiar sight. Despite his exterior calmness, he couldn't help but sympathise with Furihata and Kawahara's incessant trembling.

"Still, I wonder what this is all about." Izuki mused from beside him, looking genuinely curious more than anything else. "For Akashi to summon quite literally everyone out of the blue."

Hyuuga nodded tersely but said nothing. Izuki turned to the other members of their division and began chatting to ease their nerves. At that moment, his ears picked up on the quiet whispers of two men behind him.

 _"You don't think this has anything to do with the black envelope, do you?"_

 _"The black envelope—? Oh, the one Satoru said he saw a while ago?"_

 _"Yeah, apparently General Akashi received a black envelope. The last time that happened, well… everyone knows what happened to the late emperor."_

Hyuuga furrowed his brows in thought – considering that their division was still a fairly new addition to the Empire, there was still too much he didn't know. However, before he could dwell on that thought any longer, the large doors of the main entrance slammed shut with a loud groan. The murmurs and whispers in the room slowly died down as the rear entrance swung open, seeing to the procession of officials ascending the stage.

General Akashi Seijuurou led the procession to the centre of the stage, his authoritative aura overwhelmingly fierce and effortlessly intimidating. Following behind was probably one of his most loyal aides, Colonel Midorima. The audience watched silently as the procession of Akashi's men and the Supreme Commander's men lined up, standing to face the crowd.

"His royal highness, Kuroko Tetsuya-sama will now proceed to the stage."

Kise emerged on the stage first, bowing his head low as he extended his arm out. The soft tinkling of bells resounded throughout the hall as Kuroko tentatively took his hand and appeared at the top. Following closely behind was Aomine and Murasakibara.

"Wait, is that person the crown prince?" Koganei whispered incredulously, gaping at the small figure walking across the stage. "Looks more like the crown princess, if you ask me."

The others around him shook with laughter, clamping their mouths shut to stop the snickering. Hyuuga clenched his teeth and threw a glare their way, clamping a hand down on Koganei's shoulder for good measure.

Hyuuga too, had only seen the crown prince on a handful of occasions, but he had seen enough in those bright, azure eyes to know there was something more to the man. Those eyes did not belong to someone who everyone suspected was a sheltered, spoilt child of royalty.

Kuroko's lavish robes of black, gold and red splayed behind him as he ascended a seat that resembled a grand throne. Despite being a man, Kuroko Tetsuya was breathtakingly mesmerising – even if his eyes shone with an unmasked reel of sadness. Noticeably, generally everyone on the stage looked downcast to some degree.

While his men took a seat, Akashi remained standing and walked to the front of the stage where a microphone was installed.

"I have gathered you all here today for a regretful announcement." He began, stirring low murmurs in the crowd. "All thirty-six members of our highly regarded Specialised Expedition Squad have been confirmed deceased as of this morning."

The room went unnaturally silent for a few, painful seconds before the first few sobs broke out. At once, Hyuuga felt his heart drop and everything fell deaf to his ears. Izuki immediately turned to the bespectacled man in alarm, but there was nothing he could do. Hyuuga's frame trembled as the first drops of tears rolled down his face.

"...Riko…"

Izuki clenched his fists and bit his bottom lip, holding back his own tears as the younger members of their division broke out into ugly sobs. Before Riko left on the expedition as the squad's strategist, she promised to return with 'treasures' from the outside world. She had left with a smile like the reassuring sister-figure she was – a smile so bright, so beautiful.

"This can't be true—" Hyuuga said in a whisper between gritted teeth. "R-Riko can't be dead. She... I… I should've stopped her…!"

He closed his eyes and let his body wrack with sobs.

"Let us take a minute silence to pray for all the brave souls who laid down their lives for their loved ones, their home and the Empire." Akashi said, tapping his katana on the ground once to start the time. The room fell into a hush, painted only by the pained cries of those who just lost someone close to their heart. The minute silence lifted with another loud tap of the katana.

"Before we progress any further, I would like you all to consider my next words carefully."

Kuroko snapped his eyes open and clenched his hands together, his heart plummeting rapidly at Akashi's words. He knew what Akashi was going to do, he was sure of it – but there was nothing he could do unless the man himself announced it to the audience.

"If you are not prepared to lay down your life for the better future of our nation, I ask you to leave this room at once." Sitting a level down from him, Kuroko noticed Kise, Aomine, Murasakibara and Midorima tense up simultaneously. However, none of them made to move.

"There will be no ramifications if you choose to leave, it is entirely up to your own jurisdiction. You may have a family or a loved one you wish to return to, and fairly so."

The main entrance swung open with a groan and many workers and troops shuffled out of the room with their heads hung low. Akashi watched impassively as they left, motioning for the guards to lock the doors when nobody else made to move. The room was down to a little more than half its occupants.

"Cowards." Aomine spat through gritted teeth, scowling.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The number of personnel remaining in the room coincided with the number he had predicted beforehand. With a satisfied nod, Akashi moved away from the microphone and instead, projected his voice.

"In light of this unfortunate event, I have decided to form a new expedition squad under my command that will depart in a months time." There were a few collective gasps, but nobody spoke up. "This expedition will run for an indefinite amount of time, so I ask only those of you who are willingly prepared to trade your lives for the sake of our victory."

The guards standing by the door opened it up once more and a few pairs of nervous eyes flickered back and forth between the exit and the stage. Even after five entire minutes, however, not a single person left the room. The hundred odd people in the room remained.

"I must express my gratitude to everyone here now. Sign your details on the way out and those selected will be contacted individually at a later date." And with that, the room broke into a muddle of chatter as people lined up at the back of the hall to fill in their details on a form.

"My instructions apply to all you as well. If you wish not to, you are free to retire for the day." Akashi said evenly, glancing over his shoulder to his aides.

The four exchanged glances and stood at once, making their way down to the crowd. Akashi smirked.

"I wonder how many gravure magazines I'll find out there." Aomine said with a grin, stretching his arms above his head. Midorima voiced his disgust and Kise laughed, folding his arms casually behind his head.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kuroko remained seated on his throne, hands trembling as his heart kept pounding incessantly inside his chest. Fear, confusion and despair coursed through every inch of his body, eliciting a familiar prickle of pain in his stomach. He wanted to run and stop the four friends he considered family, from signing up for their deaths; he wanted to scream and shout at them, to ask why – _why_ were they jumping headfirst into a suicide mission?

But they completely disregarded him.

He couldn't will his body to move; his voice wouldn't go further than the lump in his throat. However the moment Akashi began to walk away, something inside of him snapped and his body lurched forward.

An old memory flashed through his mind as the bells on his ankles tinkled sharply, his body falling limp as it slipped out of the throne headfirst.

 _'No, Tetsuya—! Please, wake up. This was never meant to happen... God, please.' Warm, wet droplets landed on his cheek. 'Tetsuya, please open your eyes.'_

 _Kuroko wanted to smile and wipe away those tears. He wanted to touch him and tell him everything was fine. He wanted to, but he couldn't._

 _'Tetsuya, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry… so please, just open your eyes.'_

"—Tetsuya?"

Instead of greeting the cold, hard floor headfirst, Kuroko felt his body land in a familiar pair of arms. Akashi's distinct smell and inviting warmth enveloped his senses, and at that moment he knew there was no going back.

"Are you alright?" Akashi asked, helping Kuroko up to his feet. "What on earth were you trying to do?"

Albeit roughly, Kuroko pushed Akashi away and staggered back a few steps. He looked up, and for a brief moment, saw the faintest flash of gold in Akashi's left eye. Dread welled up inside of chest.

"Akashi-kun, why are you doing this?" He asked finally, so focused on Akashi at that moment, he hadn't noticed the small audience gathered behind them at the foot of the stage.

Akashi studied him silently, raising a hand as if to caress his head, but lowered it soon after with a sigh. "Tetsuya, surely you know why. Everything I do is for the sake of victory, for the sake of the Empire."

Kuroko shook his head, holding back the wetness stinging his eyes. "Even if that was true, there's no reason for you to do something as rash as this. It isn't like you to twist the meaning of victory like this, Akashi-kun."

"I do not speak of lies, Tetsuya. Everything I say is—"

Kuroko felt his jaw tremble with frustration, "No!" He shouted, evidently to Akashi's surprise as well as the curious on-lookers down below.

"No." He repeated, almost in a whisper this time. "Akashi-kun is a liar. A big, big liar."

Akashi narrowed his eyes, displeased at Kuroko's sudden outburst. He also wanted to get rid of the audience crowding below them, but that was the last thing on his mind. That wasn't important, not when Kuroko's small frame was trembling in front of his eyes.

"When have I lied to you, Tetsuya?"

When Kuroko looked up right into his eyes, Akashi felt the blood in his body run cold.

"You said you'd be my side until you find a cure, time and time again." Large droplets of tears watered in Kuroko's eyes and fell over the brim, sliding down his rose-tinted cheeks. "When you say things like that, you're meant to say forever, Akashi-kun."

Akashi remained silent, his mouth fallen agape just a fraction.

"And now you're going to leave even before you even find a cure?" Kuroko wiped his tears away, but only ended up sobbing harder. "No matter how you justify it, I can't accept it."

"You misunderstand, Tetsuya." Akashi said after a while, finally finding his voice. "When I speak of victory to the Empire, I speak of bringing victory for you, Tetsuya. You are at the heart of the Empire, thus I am naturally inclined to bring victory for your sake."

Kuroko hastily wiped his tears away with the expensive fabric of his robe and sniffled a few times. "I think it's the other way around, Akashi-kun. I'm not asking you to stay or cancel the expedition."

Akashi's eyes widened in realisation, as did the others down below including Midorima and Takao. "Tetsuya, no—"

"I'm joining the expedition too."

"No."

Kuroko clenched his hands and glared at the redhead. "No matter what you say, I'm going."

"Tetsuya, no. You must understand that your position will not allow such selfishness."

Another old memory flashed through his mind, and Kuroko took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. Old memories of longing pain, loneliness and mental torture resurfaced.

"Then do you not want me by your side anymore, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked, with such bitterness it surprised even himself. "Living day by day aimlessly, trapped in complete solitude. Screaming out in pain but having nobody to hear you out. Feeling your heart slowly die, not knowing whether the person you love is ever going to come back."

The dull clatter of a device dropping to the floor shattered the silence.

"Are you asking me to go through that pain again?" _Are you only doing this because you still feel responsible for that day?_

Akashi shook his head, his expression pained but unnervingly calm. "Even so, I cannot permit your enlistment. There are too many factors that work against you, and I am not willing to risk your safety."

All of a sudden, Kuroko stepped forward and clutched the collar of Akashi's uniform, pulling his face down to press their lips together. It was quick and chaste, but warm and desperate nonetheless. Kuroko pulled away first, his eyes watering up again as he determinedly gazed right into Akashi's surprised eyes.

"I cannot bear the thought of losing you, Akashi-kun. That's why I willingly chose to do what I did that day, and I do not regret a single thing."

"No. I failed you, Tetsuya. If I hadn't been so weak back then, you wouldn't be in so much pain now." Akashi replied, drawing Kuroko in with a tight embrace. Kuroko felt a smile creep onto his lips as he looked up and wrapped his arms around Akashi's shoulders.

"Even as I am now, I have never once blamed you for any of this. Not once." He felt the room grow tense at his confession, but he couldn't help the words that followed. "I love you, Akashi-kun. No matter what happens, that will never change."

Kuroko suddenly felt liberated, free from the heavy burden of keeping to himself. He felt lighter, but at the same time, felt a trickle of dread at the prospect of having to distance himself from Akashi because of his confession. And just like that, he suddenly realised the presence of the five others staring at him wide-eyed. His heart dropped and his face burned with embarrassment and shame. They weren't supposed to know. They weren't supposed to see.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, quickly pulling away from Akashi who had remained strangely quiet and calm throughout the entire ordeal.

Kise and Takao called out to him, but Kuroko ignored them and made for the stairs, feeling the sting of tears brim his eyes once more. Squeezing his eyes shut, he bent down at the foot of the stairs and hastily undid the ribbon of bells around his ankle. Glancing at it one last time, he tossed it aside and jogged down the hall, away from the cluster of voices calling out for him.

A hopeful, naïve part of him had expected Akashi to run after him, to call out and stop him. A naïve part of Kuroko's heart was hoping Akashi reciprocated his feelings. However that day, Akashi did not live up to any of Kuroko's hopes.

Kuroko didn't see or hear from Akashi the next day, or the day after that. Nor did he see him the long, excruciating days beyond that. On the seventh day, Kuroko steeled his heart and dropped by Akashi's office, but was turned away at the door.

That afternoon, Kuroko gathered the shattered pieces of his heart and withdrew, keeping his thoughts as his only companion for a long, long time.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Akashi, you fool._

 _Unfortunately the updates will get slower due to other commitments, but the chapters will be longer to compensate for that. Apologies for being unable to reply to your reviews, I will definitely reply for this one onwards. Thanks for reading, see you next chapter!_


	10. Chapter 10

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

"I'm sorry, everyone."

Kise, Midorima, Aomine and Murasakibara immediately cast aside their individual activities and glanced up at the person entering the room with a gloomy, downcast gaze. They exchanged glances between each other and nodded in a decisive agreement, inviting the raven-haired man to the sofa.

"What happened, Takao?" Midorima asked tentatively, setting down a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

Takao took a sip of the coffee and sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds. When he reopened them, they could see the wavering guilt riddling his eyes. He shook his head a few times and set the cup down.

"Tecchan kept insisting he was fine and slipped away." Takao said, furrowing his brows in distress. "I know he's not okay; _we_ know he's not, but I couldn't bring myself to follow him."

The room fell silent, alive with only the sound of time trickling by. The incessant ticking of the clock kept the room alive with sound, only to fall deaf to the ears of the individuals seated in various positions around the private lounge.

"Kurokocchi is still avoiding us, then." Kise muttered sadly, a pout crossing his lips as he looked down. "I guess heartbreak doesn't heal that easily."

Takao opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after a second thought crossed his mind. Riddled with distress, he glanced over at the others and bit back a sigh as he finally let the words slip past his lips.

"If a heart that's already broken is trampled over a second time, what do you think will happen?"

A perplexed look crossed the four faces until Midorima dropped his lucky item, belated realisation dawning on his face.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Akashi returned to his office following his brief visit to the Supreme Commander's recovery ward, the last thing he expected to see was his four faithful aides already sitting around inside.

"Yo, Akashi." Aomine drawled lazily, draped over one of the two sofas. "Sorry to intrude."

Akashi raised a brow in mild curiosity, but made no indication of disapproval or anger. Instead, he walked past them and shed his coat and katana, settling down into his leather chair. He glanced over a fresh pile of documents sitting on the corner of his desk and leaned back, levelling his gaze.

"State your business." He said flatly, his face stoic and albeit unimpressed.

The four exchanged quick glances and Midorima stood, readjusting the frame of his glasses as he awkwardly cleared his voice to speak. From beside him, Kise whispered something unintelligible.

"Akashi, it's time you tell us the truth."

Looking indifferent as ever, Akashi slightly narrowed his eyes in response and glanced over at the other three staring back with adamantly equal, determined gazes.

"What are you talking about?" He replied.

Midorima bit back a sigh; "You know exactly what we're talking about."

"Anything to do with Kurokocchi involves us too. We can't just stay ignorant forever!" Kise added albeit desperately, unnerved at Akashi's lack of response.

Increasingly frustrated at Akashi's silence, Murasakibara was the first to snap, much to everyone's surprise. Although, the manner in which he spoke was rather befitting of his usual demeanour.

"I don't want to see Kuro-chin cry anymore. Also, I can't eat my snacks in peace because everyone is always so tense around Aka-chin and Kuro-chin."

Akashi studied their faces for a while, and then finally gave in with a sigh after what seemed like never. He messily combed his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes, displaying a complicated gaze that seemed strangely vulnerable. They stared back at him in anticipation and perplexity.

"You must understand, the path I take is uniquely my own."

Aomine furrowed his brows and leaned forward, glaring at the redhead. "You bastard, that doesn't mean you have to toss him aside without a care."

"Aomine!" Midorima interjected, standing to stop the tanned male from jumping up.

"No, that is precisely why I cannot bring Tetsuya along." Akashi said, rising to stand as his voice cut through the tension. "I have caused him far too much pain already; I simply cannot condemn the person I love to share the same, destructive fate."

A thick, stagnant silence fell upon them as Akashi stilled, meeting their conflicted gazes as his words sunk in like burdensome, leaden weight.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **Seven Years Ago, summer**_

The first light of day welcomed itself with a glorious bath of sunshine, rousing the sleepless land from the darkness of night. The relentless summer heat made itself known with the incessant cries of cicadas and morning birds. The low rumble of an engine reverberated throughout the crisp morning air as a chauffeured vehicle slowed to a stop in front of a heavily guarded gateway.

"Seijuurō-sama, we have arrived at the Imperial Palace."

Akashi nodded and stepped out, straightening his embellished coat as the guards greeted him with a waist-deep bow. He commended their hard work with a few words and made his way inside, spiralling in between towering pillars and marbled staircases. The onslaught of scampering workers lessened as he walked in deeper to the heart of the castle, where his destination lay.

He stopped in front of an inconspicuous door at the end of a grand hallway and knocked twice. There was a deafening moment of silence before a small figure peeked out of the doorway.

"Akashi-kun?"

"Sorry to make you wait, Tetsuya." Akashi said with a smile, as Kuroko opened the door wide enough for him to slip inside.

Kuroko sported a reserved smile that all but disappeared as soon as the door closed behind him. Akashi shed his coat and glanced over his shoulder as a sudden body of warmth pressed up against his back. He twisted his body around and wrapped his arms around Kuroko's body, placing a hand on the unruly tuft of hair.

"What's wrong?" Akashi asked, his voice low and gentle.

Kuroko buried his face in Akashi's chest and shook his head, wrapping his arms around tighter. Akashi chuckled softly and indulged him a little longer, only peeling himself away when standing still quickly became tedious.

"Have you had lunch yet, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko looked up and shook his head, "Would you like to have lunch together?"

"Why, I'd love to."

Following their impromptu lunch date in Kuroko's dining room, they spent the rest of the day walking through the inner gardens and conversing about debatable topics. It was a serene, relaxing routine that lasted until the dimming light near the end of the afternoon.

"I suppose you'll be busy for a while again?" Kuroko enquired light-heartedly, a warm shine glistening in his eyes.

Akashi smiled in return and nodded, "My father will be back from the expedition tomorrow, so I'll be on duty with him again. I'll bring you another gift next time, I promise."

Kuroko shook his head as they reached his room. "You really don't have to, Akashi-kun. Please take care of yourself, that's all I ask of."

With words of promise, Akashi offered one last smile and turned to leave.

"See you soon, Tetsuya."

Kuroko stood in the doorway to watch him leave until the last strand of red hair disappeared down the flight of stairs. With a small smile, he turned on his heel and retreated to the comfort of his room.

 **.**

 **.**

For Kuroko, that was the last time he would ever perceive the confines of his room in a positive, comforting light. It was the last time he ever saw his father, the Emperor; and it was also the first and last time Akashi had broken a promise.

 **.**

 **.**

For Akashi, that was the last time he would ever see Kuroko for the next three years.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **Present Time**_

The incessant buzzing of Midorima's personal phone blared over the silence in Akashi's office, garnering equally curious and perturbed attention from all pairs of eyes. With a frown, Midorima mumbled a curt apology and answered the call.

"Takao, this better be—" He abruptly shot up from his seat, eyes going wide in surprise. "What do you mean Kuroko's gone? You were supposed to be with him today!"

The others looked at him in alarm, shooting up from their respective seats, Akashi included. Midorima exchanged a few more words before cutting off the call, a complicated look crossing his face.

"Bad news." Midorima said, directing his gaze at Akashi. "Kuroko disappeared from Takao's watch. I suspect he's left the Imperial Grounds on his own."

Akashi narrowed his eyes, studying Midorima's expression carefully as he replied, "You're not telling me something."

The four fell silent and exchanged looks for a few seconds until Aomine turned to Akashi with a deeply curved frown.

"Tetsu's childhood friend Ogiwara was one of the expedition squad's emergency backup troops. He got dispatched a week before they were all pronounced dead, Akashi."

Midorima nodded, "It seems that Kuroko only found out about it this morning. Takao just informed me that he disappeared right after they let in the relatives of the deceased for tomorrow's funeral procession."

Akashi responded with a visible but well-suppressed look of astonishment, quickly gathering his thoughts in his head for a few moments. Kise shifted his gaze back and forth as he cried out in worry for Kuroko's safety.

"The outside is teeming with the infected! We can't let Kurokocchi go out there on his own!"

Having tossed his snacks aside, Murasakibara nodded with a complicated gaze. "It'll be more bothersome if we don't search for Kuro-chin now."

"Alright." Akashi said suddenly, stripping off his coat as he walked around the table. He walked over to a small closet on the left side of the room and pulled out a shorter, combat-style white and gold-trimmed coat. The others looked at him expectantly.

"I will have each division dispatch a team to patrol the vicinity, and unit two to send out search teams. We will search for Tetsuya independently of them, immediately. Understood?"

The four members of unit one stood straight and saluted, shouting in unison, "Yes, sir!"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

A raven-haired man sat atop a tall stack of metal crates, perched with grace as a sinister smile swept across his lips. Below him, numerous pairs of bloodied hands clawed at the surface, staining it with blood and grime. The dark warehouse was bathed in the stench of decomposition as piercing, shrill cries and groans resounded incessantly.

"That was quite an evil move even for you, Imayoshi."

With a low chuckle, the raven-haired man bypassed any greetings and invited the newcomer to sit with him on the stack of crates. The other raven-haired man smirked, watching the group of infected people struggle and limp around down below.

"Please, I'd rather you call it strategic." Imayoshi laughed, "All I did was dispose a few bodies and belongings near the border and they fell for it spectacularly. Now all I have to do is sit back and watch the rest play out."

The other grinned widely as laughter rumbled from his throat. "Then I suppose it's my turn next, unless you've already settled things with Haizaki's lot?"

"No." Imayoshi replied, standing to leave. "I'll leave it to you, _Hanamiya-kun_."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The tattered parchment crumpled up between his trembling fingertips, creasing along the edges. The barely legible scratch of words filled the pages, and Kuroko almost wanted to laugh at the horrible handwriting. Instead though, he continued flipping through the pages with a strangely fuelled earnestness.

That didn't, however, stop the trembling of his lips or hands.

/

 ** _Day 3_** _– **eastern city ruins**_

 _They found an infected, mauled body a kilometre from our campsite. It was the body of the guy who went to sleep in the tent next to me last night._

 _Oh god… what's going on? I heard that we were sent out to back up the main squad, but we still haven't heard from them. Everyone's on the edge… I have a real bad feeling about this all..._

/

 ** _Day 5_** _– **?**_

 _Mum, dad, if you read this please know that I love you. Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. God please, I don't want to die. Everyone else is gone – the main squad is still missing and now there are only four of us left._

 _Someone's hunting us down… Lord have mercy, please… please. I didn't get to say goodbye, not to my family, not to my friends, not even to Kuroko._

 _Kuroko, I'm so glad I got to meet an awesome guy like you. I'm sorry for going first. Please take care of my parents and brothers._

 _I'm so sorry_

/

The writing ended abruptly after the entry on day five, and no matter how far Kuroko flipped through, the tattered black diary held no more words. What was left was page after page of bloodstains, dried tearstains and nonsensical scribbling. An indescribably painful, harrowing sadness welled up inside his chest and wracked his entire being with uncontrollable trembling as he clutched the diary close to his heart.

"Ogiwara-kun…" He choked out, squeezing his eyes shut.

The sound of a dragging foot and crunching glass echoed from the debilitated building behind him, and with a sharp intake of breath, Kuroko quickly rose to his feet and scrambled behind an unsteady pile of metal beams. A hunched figure emerged from the shattered glass doors, limping forward slowly as it dragged a bloodied, broken leg behind it. Its skin was white and pasty, protruding with grey-purple veins and festering, open wounds.

Kuroko watched silently as the infected man walked past, groaning and wailing down into the murky darkness. With a relieved sigh, he slipped the diary labeled 'Shigehiro' into his navy robes and jogged over to the other side with haste as he looked around cautiously. Ignoring the continuous trembling of his hands and legs, he took a deep breath and dashed forward towards the path he came.

He ran for metres without stopping once, but his stamina quickly gave away and slowed him down to a slow-paced jog. Around him was only the rustle of dead trees, ruined buildings and unsettling shadows.

"H-he….lp…m..e…"

Feeling his heart leap out of his chest, Kuroko jumped in his skin and paced backwards as he turned to see the decaying face of an infected businessman. His heart raced, thumping wildly against his chest as he fumbled for the dagger hiding in the folds of his sleeves.

"Sc…a..red…I'm…s-sca…r…rr…" It slurred, looking directly at Kuroko with the white of his eyes. Blood dripped from his chin and splattered onto the crumbled concrete with faint plops.

Kuroko swallowed a large lump in his throat, suddenly feeling the weight of the diary safely stowed away in his robes. He unsheathed the dagger with the tinkle of the bells as he forced his trembling lips open.

"I'm sorry." He said in a whisper, lowering his stance. "You've been infected."

The being froze for a moment before his head fell low; his body shook uncontrollably before he suddenly lunged forward manically without warning. The bloodied hands stretched out to grasp Kuroko's neck, but the twisted, broken fingers failed to reach its target. It wailed out impressively, shrieking as it twisted its neck around with a snap.

Kuroko dodged to the side and crouched low, slipping past under the infected being's outstretched arm. With a final apology, he gripped his dagger and plunged it deep into the back of its heart, watching as it fell to the ground with a splatter. As the body convulsed and spurted blood a while longer, Kuroko felt his fingers go slack as the dagger fell to the floor with a clatter. His legs too, trembled uncontrollably as they gave out under the weight of his slackened body.

"Tetsuya—?"

An indescribable surge of pure relief washed over him like a crashing wave, and the tears brimming his eyes finally spilled over and rolled down his cheeks. The familiar velvety voice grew louder with concern as multiple footsteps approached, stopping a few paces away from the infected body on the ground.

"Well, shit." Aomine cursed with a sharp intake of breath. "Tetsu?"

Kuroko tried to stop the tears, tried to stop the shaking, but his body wouldn't listen to him. The warm voices and hands of his friends helping him up only served to fuel the guilt and grief eating away at his heart.

Midorima broke off from the group and pulled out his communication device to alert the other groups and receive updates. Deciding to give the pair some privacy, Aomine, Kise and Murasakibara walked over to the deceased businessman and began the necessary prodding and checks they conducted with every suspicious infected being.

"Tetsuya, look at me." Akashi said tersely, cradling a hand under Kuroko's chin. "Please."

Reluctantly, Kuroko vehemently wiped away the tears blurring his vision and sniffled as he raised his face. However, when he met Akashi's pained expression, his eyes watered over once more.

Oh god, how he loved this man so much.

He should've been angry with the redhead, really – for brushing him off so easily for the past few weeks. It really shouldn't have taken a single look to dissipate all those negative feelings, but it did. It did, and it worked. The grief of being ignored, the grief losing his best friend, the weight of the diary in his robes, and the trembling of his hands stained with guilt – Akashi's presence seemed to make it all better in an instant.

"Tetsuya, I need you to calm down." Akashi said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're starting to hyperventilate. Take deep breaths for me—yes, just like that."

Kuroko did as he was told, but the tears kept spilling over the brim of his stinging eyes.

"A-Akashi-kun, I'm sorry…" Kuroko muttered, voice cracking. "Just this once." He stepped forward and buried his face into Akashi's chest, fists tightly curling around the fabric as he attempted to stop the sobbing.

Akashi, for one, was at a loss. He stood rather awkwardly; ignoring the burning, curious glances sent his way as Kuroko trembled against his body. It pained him to see Kuroko so small, so vulnerable – Inherently, Kuroko was always strong-willed and determined. Knowing that he himself was partially – or rather, largely – to blame, he decided at that moment that he was indeed, a fool.

 _'If I don't hold him now, when will I ever?'_ He asked himself sardonically, wrapping his arms around Kuroko's trembling frame.

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya." He whispered, burying his face into the soft, blue locks. "I pushed you away to protect you, but it seems that I only hurt you more."

Kuroko sniffled in his arms and looked up, surprised and perplexed. He couldn't quite voice his jumbled thoughts, but Akashi caught on without much trouble. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Kuroko had to force his thumping heart to settle quietly. He didn't want to hope, he didn't want to hang onto a false delusion—

"If there's one thing I don't deserve, it's you, Tetsuya." Akashi said, albeit woefully. "I love you so, so much. You have no idea. But being with me will only cause you more pain." _Forget about me_ , he almost blurted out, but it died on the tip of his tongue.

All of a sudden, Kuroko stilled in his arms and hung his head low. Before Akashi could say anything more, Kuroko squirmed out of his embrace and pushed him to the ground with the force of his body weight. Alarmed at the loud impact, the others glanced over and almost doubled at the sight of Kuroko straddling Akashi on the ground, his knuckles gripping the fabric of Akashi's collar.

"E-eh, Kurokocchi? What's going on over there?"

Aomine whistled in amazement, feeling smug as he went back to work.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, eyes wide with surprise. "What—"

Kuroko looked flushed and flustered, but positively angry more than anything else at that very moment. Akashi decided to clamp his mouth shut in favour of listening.

"You don't get to decide how I feel, Akashi-kun." He said, brows furrowed with frustration as he leaned forward dangerously. "I thought you knew better than to act on mere presumptions. I thought you knew better than to keep dwelling on the past."

His words began wavering, and a thoughtful look crossed his face. "You don't get to decide what you do or don't deserve. That's for me to decide, and I know that you don't deserve to keep blaming yourself like this. Not when it only hurts us both."

Akashi smiled sadly, his expression dropping in defeat. "Then tell me, do I deserve to be given a chance at forgiveness for my actions?"

Heart fluttering, a wide smile spread across Kuroko's flushed cheeks. The last drops of tears rolled down his cheeks as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Akashi's, pecking it a few extra times for good measure as he sat back up.

"Of course, Akashi-kun."

"…Thank you, Tetsuya." _I love you._

Akashi pulled himself off the ground and glanced over at the infected body as he helped Kuroko to his feet. Kuroko followed his gaze, but quickly covered his mouth and turned away. The motion appeared to have ruffled his clothes, for the diary slipped out and cluttered to the floor. With an inaudible gasp, Kuroko bent down and picked it up, dusting it off carefully as he gazed down at it despondently.

"We'll hold a proper funeral for him." Akashi offered, wrapping a hand around Kuroko's shoulder as they silently waited for the others to finish their inspection. The trembling in his hands and shoulders didn't subside, but it quivered less with the weight of Akashi's reassuring hand.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _ASDFG. I completely underestimated the sheer quantity and urgency of my university work, whoops. To make up for the delay, the next chapter will be out in less than 24 hours, or maybe simply first thing tomorrow morning (AEST). If you're reading this, thank you for not giving up on this story XD_


	11. Chapter 11

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

"The unidentified man was deliberately administered with the virus."

The atmosphere in the moving vehicle simmered to a more serious undertone; initiated by the clearly articulated, blunt tone of Midorima's words. The others kept to themselves rather awkwardly, eyeing Akashi and Kuroko whose serious expressions didn't quite reflect the intimacy of their position in each other's arms. Completely ignoring them, of course, Akashi pressed Midorima for details.

"There was a single injection mark on his left arm, and there are multiple scars and crudely healed wounds that tell us there was a scuffle or some sort of resistance." He explained, typing the details onto his tablet as he did so. "After all, we already know that those infected with the virus lose all self-healing abilities."

Akashi nodded and continued asking for updates, filing the information away in his mind for later reference. When Kuroko squirmed in his arms, he pet his head gently and loosened his grip.

"I have something to tell you too." Kuroko said albeit hesitantly, voice low and hoarse from his earlier actions. He looked at Akashi for approval and gingerly, pulled out Ogiwara's personal diary from his robes.

"This is the diary Ogiwara-kun used during the expedition. I don't know if I should be doing this, but I think it'll give valuable insight into the situation."

Steeling his heart to prevent the grief from overwhelming him, Kuroko took a deep breath in and squeezed Akashi's hand once for comfort as he breathed back out. He opened the diary to the first entry and summarised it with his own words, deliberately leaving out any personal information that had nothing to do with the expedition itself.

He told them about the missing contact from the main squad, the countdown killings, the hunt, and the abrupt ending of the entries that hinted something more that Kuroko could not bring himself to speak of out loud. The others were quiet and sported individual expressions of complicated thought and contemplation. Even Murasakibara forwent his snacks.

"Thank you, Tetsuya." Akashi said, pulling Kuroko back into his arms. He pulled the smaller man onto his lap and rubbed his hands soothingly down his back until he felt the familiar weight of a head resting on the crook of his shoulder.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Unsurprisingly, a small audience of the teams who had assisted in the search stood wait for Kuroko's safe arrival. Takao's face lit up in joy and relief when Kuroko stepped out of the car, and tackled him into a hug right off the bat.

"Tecchan, you idiot!" He whined, squeezing his friend tighter. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I had to resort to begging Shin-chan for help, seriously!"

"Shut it, Takao. Don't make it sound so bad." Midorima jibed, walking up the pair with an unsuccessfully supressed fond smile.

Running out of breath, Kuroko begged Takao to let go and promptly apologised to him and everyone else with a low bow once he caught his breath.

"I'm truly sorry for causing such trouble and making everyone worry. All the more, I am deeply grateful for your aid and support. Thank you, everyone." Kuroko said calmly, offering a small smile as he raised his upper body. The audience of troops simultaneously saluted him in response.

As everyone turned to return to their duties, Aomine sauntered over with a yawn and swung an arm around Kuroko's shoulder, grumbling something about his stomach eating itself inside out. Murasakibara and Kise decided to join the fray, weighing Kuroko down with their weight as their stomachs growled in perfect harmony.

"Would you like to have lunch in my room?" Kuroko asked, feeling his lips naturally curve into a smile. "We could meet up in an hour after we all wash up and get changed."

Kise cheered, but quickly clamped his mouth shut when he realised something. "Are you sure you don't want to go rest alone, Kurokocchi? It's been a long day so far."

Kuroko shook his head and smiled softly as he turned away, feeling the remnants of guilt starting to eat away at his heart again when he thought of how unfair it was for him to feel this blessed and happy when Ogiwara may never be able to experience it ever again.

"Thank you, Kise-kun, but I feel better when I'm with you guys."

Akashi quickly dragged him away from the overreacting, sobbing mess Kise had turned into. Aomine and Murasakibara exchanged a mutual look and abandoned the blond man at the gates.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"I apologise for the wait, everyone."

Murasakibara promptly began salivating at the sweet, savoury aroma emitting from the food trolley being wheeled in by Kuroko. Chivalrous as always, Akashi stood from his seat to help Kuroko set the plates on the dining table.

"This looks so good." Kise said, almost in a trance as he wiped away a stray drop of drool from the corner of his mouth. "Did your personal chef make this, Kurokocchi?"

With a nod, Kuroko took a seat right next to Akashi and uncovered the lids, feeling a small bout of laughter rise in his throat when three stomachs rumbled simultaneously.

"Actually, I made it just earlier with a lot of help and guidance from the chef." He confessed, noticing Akashi blink in surprise next to him. "Uh, it shouldn't taste bad?" He added a little too quickly.

The six men began their meal, with Aomine scarfing down his food without hesitation. The table was filled with lively chatter and the usual rowdiness, and Kuroko couldn't help but feel the small empty pockets in his heart fill up again.

"This is delicious, Tetsuya." Akashi said after his first bite, "I didn't realise you could cook."

Kuroko felt his cheeks heat up uncharacteristically at the sudden compliment. "I've been practicing basic cooking skills with the chef in my spare time. I really did get a lot of help though, but thank you."

Akashi turned to Kuroko with a raised brow and a slight smirk, "I guess I can look forward to much more of Tetsuya's handmade cooking in the future."

"I'll see what I can do about that." Kuroko muttered in reply, turning to his food in embarrassment.

"Can you like, not flirt while we're eating? Trying not to gag here, seriously." Aomine mumbled through a mouthful of food, continually scarfing down the food despite himself.

"Ehh, I want more of Kurokocchi's handmade meals too!" Kise chirped.

"…"

"It's satisfactory at most. Although, I'm impressed you managed to cook this in such a short time, Kuroko."

"Thank you…?"

"I want dessert."

"I've asked for the desserts to be delivered after our meal is done, Murasakibara-kun."

"Tetsuya, you're spoiling them too much." Akashi said with a sigh.

 **.**

Well into the afternoon, Kuroko found himself sipping a cup of tea across from Akashi. Having moved on to desserts, the other four were still seated at the dining table across the room when Kuroko announced the most preposterous idea.

"Please spar with me, Akashi-kun."

Akashi stared at him evenly and set down his teacup with a clink, heaving a sigh at the sudden request. The entire room fell silent.

"Tetsuya, do you really think I'd agree to such a thing?" Akashi replied, folding his arms.

Kuroko stared back at him stoically, then shook his head and replied 'no', to which Akashi only raised a brow. The other four began making a fuss, but Kuroko made a point to ignore them for a moment.

"That's why I'd like to take advantage of the second condition Akashi-kun agreed to before the announcement ceremony." Kuroko said, recalling the first condition having being fulfilled with their trip to the city. "If I win, I get to join the expedition without protest. If Akashi-kun wins, I'll listen to whatever you have to say"

Akashi took notice of the determined fire in Kuroko's eyes; it was a telltale sign that Kuroko was not going to back down on this matter anytime soon. With another sigh, Akashi closed his eyes and reflected on the various possible outcomes.

"Very well, we shall see to it first thing tomorrow morning."

Kise slammed his hands onto the table and stood up with his jaw hanging; "Wait, wait, wait! Do you know what you're getting yourself into, Kurokocchi?"

Aomine stared blankly, dumbly. "Are you serious, Tetsu?"

Murasakibara hummed in interest, scooping another spoon of ice cream into his awaiting mouth. Midorima only brought a hand to his head and sighed in defeat, mumbling incomprehensible words about being surrounded by morons.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kuroko bid his four friends a goodnight and lingered in the doorway a little longer with his love, Akashi. Exchanging smiles, they waited until everyone left to bid each other a more intimate goodnight parting.

"Tetsuya, may I?" Akashi asked, his voice low and husky as he cupped the back of Kuroko's head.

With a faint blush, Kuroko nodded and raised his chin as he felt Akashi's warm breath ghost over his parted lips. Akashi dipped his head lower and pressed their lips together, biting and sucking on Kuroko's bottom lip gingerly. Feeling Kuroko's breath strain against his, he pulled away and gazed at the love of his life tenderly.

"Goodnight, Tetsuya." He said in a whisper, smiling. "I hope you're prepared to lose tomorrow." He playfully added.

Kuroko returned his own playful smile and clasped Akashi's hand in his, lacing their fingers together. "I don't intend to lose, Akashi-kun. Take care on your way back."

Akashi left with a chaste kiss to the back of Kuroko's hand, and Kuroko watched his retreating figure until it disappeared. Instead of turning back to go inside, he bent down to remove the bells around his ankle and quietly jogged down the adjacent hallway to the guarded door. He opened the door a sliver and peeked out, taking note of the yawning guard on the left and the attentive guard on the right. With a mental nod, he closed the door behind him and left through the other door.

The hallway outside was eerily quiet as it was at night, with the faint echoes of his shoes the only sound reverberating across the walls. There were the occasional guards standing watch, but Kuroko didn't really need to exercise such caution without the tinkling of bells following his every step. With hindrance, it didn't take long for him to reach the safe haven of his personal, inner garden.

Manoeuvring around carefully, he weaved through a large underpass covered in flowering vines to reach a large pond enclosed by tall stone boulders. A lone, marble monument stood in the middle of the pond, water rippling gently around it.

With only his dagger in hand, he stripped off his robes at the edge of the pond and shivered, biting his lip as he gently lowered his body into the cold, crystal-clear water. Taking a moment to bear the biting cold of night, he began wading through the pond towards the monument. Engraved delicately upon its surface was thousands and thousands of names, all of which belonged to members of the Teikō Empire; his name too, was engraved somewhere at the peak of the monument.

He slid a finger across the surface, eyes scanning every name carefully as he came to a stop at the specific name he had come for; Ogiwara Shigehiro.

"I'm sorry, Ogiwara-kun." He began with a whisper, hoping that his voice would somehow reach his dear friend. "I'm sorry for having been so ignorant, so weak. I wish there was more I could've done to prevent your death."

He gazed at the engraved name with glassy, tear-rimmed eyes and felt his lips tremble as he forced out the rest of his lingering thoughts.

"I wanted to thank you, for all that you've done for me. For all that you've tolerated until now, and for being my dear friend. I promise to take care of your family, Ogiwara-kun. I won't let anything end here."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he unsheathed his dagger. Carefully with both hands, he raised it to the top of Ogiwara's name and stabbed it into the surface, bringing it down slowly and carefully until his name was crossed out with a single mark. Kuroko spent the next half hour searching and crossing off all the names he had come to remember in the previous days.

' _Goodbye.'_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

A large audience of troops from across various divisions stood present on the training grounds to witness the rumoured bout between General Akashi and Prince Kuroko – a peculiar combination, to say in the least. Aomine, Murasakibara, Kise, Midorima and Takao stood at the front of the crowd, a good five metres away from the centre of the field where Kuroko stood awaiting.

"Is this really going to be alright?" Kise mumbled to no one in particular, feeling a wave of anxiousness wash over him. Takao snickered beside him, playfully slapping him on the shoulder.

"It'll be alright, trust me." He said with a grin, "I still can't believe this is happening, though."

Midorima shook his head with a sigh, "I'm not surprised that Kuroko thought of such a preposterous idea, but I didn't think Akashi would actually agree to it."

"More importantly," Aomine interrupted, gruffly. "Does Tetsu even know how to fight?"

Murasakibara hummed around his corn snack, mumbling; "Kuro-chin has fast reflexes, I think? Like the time he deflected the arrow to save Kise-chin."

"Oh my god, I hope Kurokocchi gets through this in one piece."

Unaware of what his companion's were talking about, Kuroko looked around the crowd curiously, flashing a small smile when he spotted Major Mibuchi waving at him alongside the other members of Unit Two, as well as other familiar faces in the front row such as Captain Himuro of Yōsen and Captain Hyuuga of Seirin.

"My apologies, I hope you didn't wait too long."

The crowd silenced in an instant, simmering down to low murmurs, as General Akashi made long, confident strides toward Kuroko.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun." Kuroko replied, offering a ghost of a smile.

"Good morning, Tetsuya." Akashi replied, a gentle smile adorning his lips.

Without another word, Akashi raised his left hand and rested it atop the katana at his waist. Kuroko too, reached into his sleeve and pulled out the dagger he always kept on his body. The bells tinkled as he crouched down and laid it gently on the ground. Kuroko's pearl white and navy blue robes splayed out around him elegantly, and despite appearances, were quite comfortable and easy to move around in.

"The first person land a blow or make the other concede in defeat will be considered the winner. Do these conditions sit well with you, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, stepping forward into a battle stance.

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko responded, parting the lower part of his robes to reveal a ribbon of bells tied around his ankle. They jingled as he reached down to untie it, tossing it aside. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Akashi and Kuroko locked gazes, both with their hands within a split second reach of unsheathing their blades. They stood silently as the crowd watched with bated breath, the gentle morning breeze blowing past as time came to a momentary standstill. Suddenly, Kuroko fell back into a relaxed position and raised his dagger, gently tugging on the string to unwind the loop of bells tied around the hilt.

The moment Kuroko untwined the bells; he promptly threw them into the air and disappeared before their very eyes, in plain sight. Almost everyone fell into an astonished silence, blinking their eyes rapidly as they darted their eyes around to locate the prince.

Not a moment later, Akashi pivoted on his right heel and drew his katana in a quick, long swing – the sharp clash of metal resonated in the air around them as Kuroko suddenly appeared once more before their eyes.

"You'll have to try harder than that." Akashi taunted, pushing Kuroko back with the sheer force of his blade.

Before his robes could even flutter back down to the ground, Kuroko pushed off his back foot and dashed forward once more, clashing with Akashi's katana for a while longer. Amidst the growing volume of cheers emanating from the audience, Kuroko suddenly pulled back and threw his dagger in a horizontal trajectory aimed directly at Akashi's head. Without hesitation, he pushed forward and partially pushed aside the lower half of his robes, revealing milky white thighs strapped with belts of palm sized throwing knives and twin daggers.

"Whoa, Tecchan really wasn't kidding about being serious." Takao said with an impressed whistle, folding his arms behind his head.

Kuroko disappeared from sight once more, appearing behind Akashi wielding a dagger in each hand. With ease, Akashi blocked the attack with his katana and locked their blades together, smirking as he teased Kuroko about the sloppy attack. Kuroko bit back a pout and grit his teeth, pushing his body weight forward to get Akashi to fall out of position. They were locked in a stalemate situation for a long time, until Akashi finally stepped back, allowing Kuroko to jump back a few times to retrieve his dagger that lodged itself at the base of a low tree branch. He pulled out a few throwing knives and directed it at Akashi, but infuriatingly, the redhead caught it between his fingertips with ease and threw them back, forcing Kuroko to deflect and toss aside the knives for good.

"Please be serious, Akashi-kun." Kuroko mumbled with a slight frown.

"I am being serious, Tetsuya." Akashi replied, cocking his brow in an amused manner.

Kuroko resisted the urge to stick out his tongue and instead, reached his hand up and pulled on the dagger, only to find that it was lodged well and deep inside the branch. He started to panic just the slightest when Akashi slowly began walking forward with his katana ready to swing at any given moment; he pulled and wriggled the dagger side to side as it slid out excruciatingly slowly.

With a final pull, the dagger popped out. Kuroko threw the two daggers in his other hand at Akashi in an attempt to create a diversion to pull his disappearing act, but the sudden ominous creaking of the tree branch above him distracted him otherwise.

"Watch out, the branch is falling!" Someone called out in a panic, eliciting a wave of murmurs and concerned shouts.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Tetsu!"

Kuroko snapped his head up and realised the branch was about to crash-land onto the crown of his head any moment. Instead of moving away, however, he remained still and closed his eyes as the branch broke off with a loud, creaking snap.

Akashi reached Kuroko faster than the descending branch, slicing it cleanly in two as each side crashed to the ground with an unceremonious thump. With a small sigh of relief he looked down at Kuroko to check for his safety only to realise he wasn't standing there anymore. Then suddenly, a familiar body of weight jumped onto his back and latched onto his shoulders.

"I win, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said with a soft chuckle, tightening his arms around Akashi's shoulders.

Bewildered, Akashi stared at the empty patch of dirt before him for a few moments before he closed his eyes and breathed out with a smile on his lips. He turned around as Kuroko jumped off and promptly pulled him back into an embrace, carrying him so high that his feet flew off the ground.

"A-Akashi-kun?" Kuroko stammered, an embarrassing shade of pink dusting his cheeks as Akashi gazed up at him with a fond smile. "Please let me down, it's embarrassing in front of everyone."

Akashi chuckled and lowered Kuroko to the ground, ignoring the various expressions plastered onto the faces of the spectating audience members: startled, bewildered, blushing, confused and joyful. Takao and the four members of Unit One raced towards them, with Aomine pretending to gag at Akashi and Kuroko's public display of affection.

"Kurokocchi, you did it! You did it!" Kise chirped, tackling Kuroko into a bear hug.

"I didn't think Kuro-chin would win."

"Neither." Aomine said, but he ended up ruffling Kuroko's head with a wide grin nevertheless.

"Slighty underhanded as your tactics may have been, a win is a win. Congratulations, Kuroko."

"That's my Tecchan!"

Rambunctious chatter and laughter flitted through the morning air as Kuroko's closest companions and acquaintances approached him with words of praise and pleasant surprise. The joyous atmosphere created by the morning event carried on for the rest of the day, as well as the following days as preparations for the newly reformed expedition finally switched to full gear.

"A promise is a promise, Akashi-kun." Kuroko mentioned later that afternoon, bringing the topic out of the blue as he walked hand-in-hand towards Akashi's chauffeured car.

"Of course." Akashi replied, somewhat impassively as he helped Kuroko into the backseat. "Although, I can't help but wonder if I can ever win against you, Tetsuya."

Kuroko tilted his head in confusion, his large doe eyes sparkling with warmth and curiosity as he absent-mindlessly played around with Akashi's fingers. The glowing orange hue of the sky outside grew brighter with combinations of pink and lavender as the car neared Akashi's house.

"It's nothing."

Akashi pulled Kuroko closer to his body and basked in their shared warmth, gazing outside the window with a relaxed smile as he watched the scenery roll by. He noticed, that even the most bleak and repetitive landmarks outside suddenly seemed so much brighter and meaningful with the reassuring presence locked tightly in his arms.

"Akashi-kun, can I try out a new recipe for dinner tonight?"

He was a fool for not having realised sooner; it was for small, meaningful moments with Kuroko such as this, which he wanted to live for. It was for the sake of waking up every morning to the angel in his arms, in which he wanted to strive for.

"Of course, Tetsuya. I'll help you too."

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Forgive me, I got a little sloppy here. Thank you for reading another chapter, I hope it made up for the long delay! The remaining nine chapters or so will follow along as soon as my schedule allows. See you next time_


	12. Chapter 12

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

Kuroko shivered, cradling his arms as the early morning air bit harshly against his skin. The cold breeze howled quietly as it travelled through the blades of grass and tree branches below, bringing forth goosebumps on his exposed limbs. In an attempt to warm himself, he began stretching his arms across his chest, his lips curving into a slight frown at the foreign feeling of wearing clothes that weren't robes – meaningly, the white shirt and navy shorts he borrowed from Akashi the night before.

Less than a minute later, a comfortingly warm body pressed up against his own, enveloping him in warmth that pulled a smile onto his face.

"What's wrong, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked, stifling a chuckle when he felt Akashi's lips pepper chaste kisses all over his nape. Akashi tightened his arms around Kuroko and lifted his head, nuzzling his face in the crook of his left shoulder.

"I should make you wear my clothes more often." He replied, humming in content.

"That doesn't explain why you're being so clingy." Kuroko said, laughing quietly as he indulged in Akashi's warmth.

"I need my daily dose of Tetsuya to start the day." Akashi whispered, his breath ghosting over the shell of his ear. Kuroko shivered involuntarily, feeling his cheeks heat up despite the cold.

"Akashi-kun, the sun has barely risen. And here I thought we could just cuddle and enjoy the sunrise on your balcony."

"Then that's what we'll do, love."

When Kuroko turned in Akashi's hold to face him, however, he was instead greeted with a sneaky peck on the lips. He looked up in surprise and felt his expression morph into a wide grin, throat bubbling with laughter as he stretched up to kiss him square on the lips once more. The wind howled again with morning frost, but Kuroko was no longer bothered by it.

"We should have breakfast." Akashi muttered softly, taking a long whiff of what he liked to describe as 'Tetsuya's intoxicating scent'. "Atsushi and the others will be here soon to pick you up for stamina training. You will need every last drop of energy to get through it, I assure you."

"…Please go easy on me."

 ** _One Hour Later_**

"Stop, stop!" Kise cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the two culprits standing by the door. "Isn't it too early for this kind of PDA?"

"No thanks. I gonna go bleach my eyes out and wait in the car or something." Aomine drawled, making a gagging motion as he promptly turned on his heel, uninterested in watching his best friend and boss make out on the porch.

"I wonder if Kuro-chin tastes good?" Murasakibara asked nobody in particular, tilting his head in purely innocent curiosity.

Kise paled rapidly when he heard the giant's prompt, torn between the difficult decision of continuing to (happily) watch the impromptu make-out session or tearing it apart before it got out of hand. Luckily though, Kuroko pushed against Akashi's chest and pulled away, breathing heavily as a deep, scarlet blush dusted his cheeks.

"D-don't do that in front of everyone." He mumbled, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "You already got your morning kiss before breakfast."

Kise almost melted on the spot, burning the image of a sweet and shy Kuroko into his memory. At the same time though, the more intelligent half of his consciousness was completely and utterly confused at Akashi's disgustingly sappy, romantic behaviour. He was much too used to the usual terrifying, demonic Akashi.

"That was my ' _work-hard-darling'_ kiss to get me through the day, Tetsuya." Akashi responded, chuckling softly when Kuroko playfully punched his chest in reply.

"We'll see each other again at noon, Akashi-kun."

"But that's a whole five hours without my Tetsuya."

Murasakibara promptly left, ducking down into the car to ask Aomine if there was any more of his bleach left to spare.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"So I've been told that you're participating in the next expedition, Kuroko."

"Yes, sir."

"…I see. To be frank, I didn't think this day would ever come at all."

The faint beeping of the heart monitor by the bedside resounded in the private ward, accompanying the tired, raspy voice of an aged man. Kuroko sat straight and nodded with earnestness as he tightly clasped a slightly wrinkled, aged hand between his own.

"My apologies, I shouldn't keep you here too long." Commander Shirogane said with a small smile, glancing at the wall clock hanging above the door.

Kuroko shook his head and smiled softly in reply, assuring the older man everything was just fine. They shared a peaceful moment of silence before they resumed idle chatter, with Kuroko satisfied by simply spending time with Shirogane, who had come to grow close to his heart as a father-figure over the past years.

"I can't help but feel restless, bedridden like this most of the day." Shirogane confessed, with a quiet sigh. "With the Empire as unstable as it is now, there's so much more I should be doing. But Akashi takes care of everything so well, I fear that there's nothing for me to do anymore."

"That's not true, Commander Shirogane." Kuroko assured, "Everyone is only concerned for your health, which is why the doctor has been told to keep you confined to bed rest. Please don't tell anyone I told you though, Akashi-kun won't be very happy."

Shirogane breathed out with a stifled chuckle and leaned back on the propped pillows, a content smile slipping onto his face as blinks of sleep started to catch up with him. Kuroko stood up in understanding and rearranged the blankets, watching as Shirogane slowly drifted off to a medication-induced rest.

"I'll see you soon, Commander Shirogane."

"…Yes, take care."

Kuroko bowed before he left the room quietly, sighing in relief. He looked up to see Akashi leaning against the opposite wall casually, with his armed folded and lips curled up in clear amusement. Kuroko stared back at him impassively, walking away from the room as Akashi fell into step with him.

"What was that about me not being very happy?" He asked, lacing their fingers together.

Kuroko shot him a slightly perturbed look, but didn't stop Akashi from intertwining their hands together. "It's not very nice of you to eavesdrop, Akashi-kun."

Akashi stifled a chuckle at Kuroko's reluctance to answer, but decided not to push the irrelevant matter any further. They walked hand in hand to leave the hospital until Kuroko's phone began buzzing from the hidden pocket in his sleeves.

"Please excuse me for one moment." He said as he hurried out of the building, Akashi following behind leisurely with a nod.

"Hello, Kise-kun? Oh, I'm sorry I'm on my way right now with Akashi-kun— yes, thank you. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Are your guests here already?" Akashi asked as he swept Kuroko's hand into his once more, waving over his chauffeur to take them to the Imperial Palace.

"Yes, let's hurry."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Akashi personally had not been told whom Kuroko invited to the palace, but he more or less knew it had to be none other than Ogiwara's grieving parents. He certainly wasn't going to start questioning Kuroko's intentions on the matter, but he certainly wasn't going to leave the room either. And by appearances, nor were the usual group of four – though there was a burning curiosity, it was simply more of a precautionary security measure.

"Thank you for making the long trip to the Imperial palace, Mister and Missus Ogiwara. Please, have some tea to relax before we talk."

"We appreciate your generous hospitality, your highness. We shall take you upon that offer." Ogiwara's father said tersely as he warily eyed Murasakibara and Midorima who were standing by the door to right of their sofa.

Akashi watched Ogiwara's father take care of his wife, ushering her to take small sips of the steaming cup of tea as he squeezed her shoulder gently for comfort. She appeared to smile up at him in appreciation as she lowered the cup back to the table with a soft clink.

"I extended out an invitation to all families involved in recent events, however I wished to meet with the two of you personally upon Shigehiro-kun's request." Kuroko explained calmly, somewhat warily gauging their perplexed reaction.

"Shigehiro's request?" His mother repeated, her lower lip trembling at the thought of the dear child she would never see again.

"Please take this." Kuroko said, sliding forward a polished wooden box tied with a silk ribbon. "This box contains the last of Shigehiro-kun's belongings. I must apologise for going through his diary without consulting you, however other than for investigative purposes, all of his belongings have been collected as they were."

They gasped in surprise when they opened the box, and Ogiwara's mother immediately began trembling as she bit back her tears. Kuroko lowered his gaze in guilt and apology, but continued with a calm façade.

"Shigehiro-kun graced the Empire with his honour and dignity, and as righteously deserving, his name will forever be recorded in our history as an esteemed soldier who died an honourable death." Kuroko almost stopped at the increasing volume of sobs from across the table, but instantly decided against it. "However…"

"Yes?" Ogiwara's father asked, expression tight with grief and exhaustion.

"He was a loyal, hard-working friend above all else. He extended a branch of his unwavering kindness and friendship towards me, even without realising who I truly was."

Ogiwara's father smiled sadly and laughed, "That boy was always a bit dense. I apologise for anything foolish he did, your highness."

"No, please think of me not as a prince, but simply as Shigehiro-kun's friend. Rest assured, I have every intention to uphold Shigehiro-kun's will, and will see to that your family is compensated for all of his effort and contribution to the Empire."

Ogiwara's mother wiped away the last of her tears and blinked up at Kuroko, her frown curving into a small smile as she grasped the box of belongings tight in her trembling hands.

"Thank you, Kuroko-sama. Thank you so, so much."

From afar, Akashi watched solemnly as Kuroko's calm façade of composure began to crumble into something more vulnerable, more human.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Aominecchi, I think Kurokocchi and Akashicchi are going to become glued to each other one of these days."

"They already are, moron."

"Wha—! I'm not a moron!"

Midorima decided that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the two fools beside him and instead focused on the wall-sized LCD screen at the front of the room. However, sitting in the Commander's chair in front of it was Akashi – impassively signing some documents whilst cradling a sleeping Kuroko in his arms. He looked away, deciding he wanted nothing to do with them either.

"Shin-chan!" He definitely did not want anything to do with this one especially.

Just as he began praying for the mandatory expedition meeting to hurry up and just start already, the gods answered his plea by sending in the remaining members through the door all at once. When they entered the room, some paused in the doorway and others walked to their seats warily.

"Midorimacchi, shouldn't we do something about that?" Kise whispered, cautiously glancing over at Akashi who had yet to pay them any attention.

With a sigh, Midorima looked over and observed Kuroko's sleeping form carefully – his skin was slightly paler than usual, and his breathing was deep and even. He knew without a doubt that Kuroko must've been forced to take his scheduled dose of medication – a prescription that came with a torturously high amount of drowsiness enough to knock out an elephant. With nobody skilled or trustworthy enough to protect a vulnerable Kuroko while they were in the meeting, it was no wonder Akashi brought him along.

"Leave them be." He replied, half-heartedly waving Kise off.

Most members of the newly reformed expedition squad were familiar faces – Captain Hyuuga and most of the upper echelon of the Seirin division, Captain Himuro and others from Yōsen, Lieutenant Takao and others from Shūtoku, as well as the entirety of Unit One, Unit Two and their elite backup troops.

"Major Mibuchi, could you get these documents processed for me?" Akashi called out suddenly, signing off what seemed like the final document.

As Mibuchi stood to leave, Hayama leaned forward and tapped Kise's shoulder.

"I've noticed for a while, but what's the deal with… _that_?" He asked Kise, pointing a finger at the sleeping bundle in the redhead's embrace. He was entirely unsure if the person sitting up there was truly his boss or a lookalike imposter.

Kise laughed sympathetically and shrugged, explaining that he honestly had no idea either. They watched as Akashi slipped off his coat and draped it over Kuroko's shoulders, rising to stand as he carefully shifted Kuroko into a bridal hold to lower him back down onto the leather chair.

"Now that everyone has gathered, we shall begin the meeting." Akashi said, his gaze sharp and focused as the screen lit up behind him. "I'd like to remind you all that the content discussed in this meeting remains strictly confidential, and failure to comply with this rule will result in a non-negotiable punishment."

Some gulped uneasily at the cold, harsh tone of his words and others simply kept to themselves, having steeled their nerves the moment they signed up for the expedition. Kuroko simply slept on in the commander's chair, snuggled underneath Akashi's white coat.

Akashi began discussing the details of their expedition – their purpose, strategies and course of action. At first glance, it was simple in itself. Their main goal was to find a cure for the epidemic virus and prevent further widespread infection by defeating their enemies. The only problem was tracking them down without losing significant manpower or time. The final agenda of the meeting came down to each member being tasked to write a will that was to be issued in the event of their deaths. A grim reminder of their situation it was, but nobody uttered a single word of complaint or fear.

As Mibuchi stood and passed out folders addressed to each member of the expedition squad, a dull thud sounded from the front of the room where Kuroko was sleeping in the chair. Akashi walked over immediately, ignoring the mess of his crumpled coat as he crouched down.

Kuroko was trembling, his brows knotted together and lips pursed tight. To the curious eyes of others in the room, it only looked as if he was passing through a nightmarish stage of deep sleep. Why he sleeping in the first place though, they hadn't a clue. Akashi brushed Kuroko's hair aside and gently slipped his arms under the curled up body, lifting Kuroko into a bridal hold. He held Kuroko close to his body, dipping his forehead down to check his temperature.

"Is Tecchan alright?" Takao inquired, brows furrowed in concern. "Don't tell me his medicine isn't working…?"

Captain Himuro, Hyuuga and the others around him stared at him in confusion, looking a little miffed at their unfortunate lack of understanding.

"Don't worry, he's just running a slight fever." Akashi replied calmly, hugging Kuroko close to his body. "Speaking of which, there is one last thing I should mention."

Without faltering, Akashi revealed the truth about Kuroko's health and general constitution – the expedition members stared at him incredulously and gaped in horror as if he had just mauled somebody in front of their eyes.

"If we lose him to the enemy, we effectively lose any and all hope of eradicating the virus. In any event, the crown prince's life will be prioritised above all else."

Akashi decided to quell their worries and questions by passing the responsibility to a very perturbed Midorima. Seeing as his bespectacled aide was more than capable of explaining the findings of the official virus inquest, Akashi briskly walked out of the room without another glance back.

"Come to my house immediately after this." He muttered quietly as he walked past the front row where his closest aides were seated. "Oh and Daiki, bring _her_ with you."

Aomine snapped his head around so fast it was a miracle it didn't just snap in half all together. Grimacing, he exaggerated a gulp and nodded albeit hesitantly.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Thank you, your data never fails us. I shall take your word for this, Momoi."

A bright-eyed, pink-haired woman shook her head, responding with a smile. She picked up her teacup and took a tentative sip as Akashi gathered the loose documents on the coffee table and stood up alongside Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara.

"Wait, is everyone leaving right now?" Momoi asked, confused.

"Don't worry, Momocchi." Kise assured, "I'm only going to bring the car around so I'll be right back."

"Oi Satsuki, don't do anything weird to Tetsu while we're gone." Aomine said in all seriousness, earning himself a hard kick to the shin.

She stood to see them at the door, silently panicking at the prospect of being alone with the crown prince. Kise reassured her of his speedy return, but Momoi couldn't help the overly dramatic, exaggerated 'what-if' scenarios playing through her mind.

"We'll be back within the hour." Akashi said calmly, a mysterious smile stretching across his lips.

 **.**

 **.**

 ** _Extra_**

Satsuki Momoi caught herself staring at the serene, sleeping face for the third time in five minutes. Quietly reprimanding herself, she tore her gaze away and reached into her pink duffle bag lying limp at the foot of the four-poster bed. Pulling out a worn notepad and a black gel pen, she began jotting down notes on measurement sizes and other details.

Since the moment Akashi left her to look after Prince Kuroko half an hour ago, she had studied the sleeping figure before her much harder than her job actually required. As a seamstress, she really only needed to take a few measurements to tailor a new uniform. However, the fair-skinned male sleeping on Akashi's guest bed appeared more like a porcelain doll and less like the crown prince of an empire.

Then again, everyone was a little different when they slumbered.

Momoi retreated to the kitchen and nursed a cup of peppermint tea until her nerves calmed down. Minutes later, she heard movement from the second floor. Suspecting that the slumbering prince had finally woken up, she brewed a fresh cup of tea and carried it on a tray up the stairs. When she knocked on the door, she received no reply.

"Uh… Prince Kuroko?" She called out meekly, unsure how to address him. "I brought some tea for you."

Receiving no response, she excused herself and opened the door, only to be greeted by an empty bed and an even emptier room. With a puzzled expression, she pushed the door wider and walked in, calling out the prince's name once more for good measure.

"P-Prince Kuroko?" She tried, "Uh, your highness?"

"Yes?"

With a high-pitched shriek at the unexpected response from behind, Momoi involuntarily jumped in her skin and tripped over her own foot. She gasped, not only because she was going to fall, but also because the tray holding the hot, steaming cup of tea slipped from her grasp. Unprepared for the impact, she stared wide-eyed when a larger body enveloped hers, pulling her away just as the teacup clattered to the floor.

"Please forgive me for pulling you like that, I feared you might've burned yourself." The same, soft voice said. The words sounded completely empty, monotonous and void of emotion; the sound of a dull voice accompanied with no sense of presence unnerved her to no end.

"N-no, I'm sorry. That was my fault." Momoi replied, turning to face her saviour. "Thank you—" _Dear lord he's beautiful_ , she suddenly thought the instant she met those deep, azure orbs.

"No, I was the one who approached you from behind. I'm just glad your beautiful hands are uninjured."

Thus is the story of how Momoi the seamstress fell in love with a prince at first sight. Despite the eventual revelation of Akashi and Kuroko's relationship, that certainly didn't stop her advances. In hindsight, it may possibly have spurred her on even further.

* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Apologies if this chapter felt like a filler, in a way it was really just an excuse for more AkaKuro fluff and also to introduce Momoi. The next chapter will be out tomorrow, possibly earlier. Stay tuned!_

 _Next chapter: Akashi's expedition squad finally departs on its first and final mission. Yay._


	13. Chapter 13

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Expedition Departure: D-5**

Kuroko sauntered into the meeting room nonchalantly, poker-faced as ever despite the eye-catching display of fluffy cat ears resting atop his head. The bells tied around each ear tinkled softly as he bowed in his usual display of polite greeting.

"I apologise for being late." Kuroko said stoically, "My meeting with Momoi-san went overtime."

Taking note of Kuroko's perfectly constructed stoic façade, Aomine raised a brow and snorted. "Y'know, just admit she's been holding you up. That woman is downright crazy, I swear."

Kuroko shook his head gently and directed himself to the left of Akashi's empty chair, plopping down at once with a soft sigh. "I admit Momoi-san can be a little too excitable sometimes, but she's also very kind and a pleasant conversation partner." He glanced up at the cat ears with a small frown and tugged at one gently. "This is the least I can do, since she is working tirelessly on my new uniform."

"But it looks cute on you, Kurokocchi!" Kise said with a grin, snapping a candid photo before Kuroko could turn to deadpan at him.

The others present for the expedition meeting looked on curiously, still unused to seeing the crown prince and members of Unit One act so carefree and defenceless. Lieutenant Takao and Unit Two, however, had no trouble fitting into the fray.

"Takao-kun, could you help me take these ears off?" Kuroko asked quietly, looking a little helpless. "I can't seem to unclip them."

"Let's see…" Takao mumbled, standing behind Kuroko who winced when he tugged at one of the ears. "Whoa, the clips are all tangled up with your hair. This is gonna hurt a little, Tecchan."

Mibuchi stood and walked over with a brush in hand, casually popping in between to help. Kise continued snapping photos and Murasakibara offered some snacks to a wincing and pouting Kuroko. Too preoccupied chatting and crowding around Kuroko, they didn't notice when Akashi walked in behind them.

"Did something happen?"

"Oh, good morning Akashicchi!" Kise chirped, quickly hiding away his phone. "Uh… Momocchi happened?"

A chorus of morning greetings filled the room, Kuroko giving up with a sigh as he thanked Takao and Mibuchi for attempting to free him of the abominations atop his head. Midorima walked in not too long after, distributing a thin booklet to each person around the room.

"I'd like you all to skim over this information for a moment." Akashi said, removing his coat as he sat down in his chair. He glanced over at Kuroko with a raised brow, unsure whether or not he was supposed to make a jibe at the curious display.

"They won't come off." Kuroko offered quietly, feeling Akashi's amused gaze without having to look up.

"Come here, I'll lend you a hand." Akashi said, pushing aside the booklet as he made room for Kuroko on his lap. Kuroko appeared to have no qualms about shortening the distance between them as he quite happily plopped down in Akashi's embrace. Suddenly uncaring of the world around them, they were too lost in each other's presence to notice the unrelenting flurry of perturbed glances shot their way.

Ignoring the two, Aomine flipped through the booklet and skimmed over the information half-heartedly. The first few pages contained paragraphs of policies, rules, and regulations that looked as if someone had just smashed their head onto the keyboard while typing.

 _"A-Akashi-kun, it hurts."_

The page after that had an enlarged map of the important checkpoints and military communication towers they were to make a stop at during the expedition. The first one, he noticed, was only half a day's drive from their headquarters.

 _"Hold on, it'll stop hurting in a moment. I'm going to pull it out in one go."_

The following pages were more or less information lists of all the things they needed to pack, bring or keep in mind before their departure. Disgusted by the sheer amount of words packed together, Aomine pulled a frown and skipped it – being the mother hen they tended to be, Midorima or Akashi would probably remind him.

The last few pages contained brief profiles of important names and faces associated with the traitorous noble houses. Noticing an in-depth profile check of each house was listed on their agenda, he could only assume it was—

 _"Wai—ah! Please give me a warning next time."_

—a warning. Yes, some sort of warning to prepare them for the inevitable battle that was to come. If the traitorous houses were the ones spreading the virus, then everything would boil down to eradicating them. Simple.

 _"My apologies, Tetsuya. Here, I'll rub it to make it feel better."_

Aomine slammed his booklet down onto the table and hurled a comically annoyed glare across the table, pointing an accusatory finger at Akashi and Kuroko. Others looked up, alarmed and thankful all at once.

"Can you two stop that seriously misleading conversation?" Aomine half-yelled half-screeched, finally fed up. "Get a room, seriously!"

Freed from the ears, Kuroko blushed at the accusation and scrambled to return to his seat. Only, a widely smirking Akashi refused to let him go. The redhead offered a curt apology to Aomine and the others and bid them to continue reading as he somewhat forcefully snuggled with Kuroko in his seat.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Expedition Departure: D-3**

"Wait, so you're saying you weren't kidding about us playing hide-and-seek tag in the forest here?" Major Hayama asked incredulously, brows knitted in confusion.

Major Nebuya chimed in to voice his confusion, as followed by Aomine, Kise and eventually the whole lot of expedition members standing at the forest's edge. Akashi confirmed their afternoon schedule of playing in the forest, bringing the group to a standstill silence. It wasn't, however, a simple game of hide-and-seek or tag – and he told them so. Playing hide-and-seek-tag in the density of a forest surrounded by tall buildings was to imitate the natural surroundings of what lay in wait for them beyond the safety of the city gates.

"Think of it as a combat simulation." Akashi explained, "Predominantly, you will be camouflaging, ambushing, attack and defending. However, the rules are a little different."

Standing to the far right of Akashi, Kuroko began untying the obi sash around his midsection and slipped it off alongside the robes to reveal a simple outfit of a white sweatshirt and black shorts. The usual red ribbon with bells tinkled around his ankle as he loosened the knot.

"Tetsuya will go into the forest first and find a hiding location. When he is found, he will become 'it' and tag as many people to recruit onto his side. Your job is to avoid being tagged and successfully surround and capture him within the allocated time frame."

Though excited, Kise and Takao exchanged knowing looks and shared a quiet sigh between each other, steeling themselves for the exhausting day ahead. Captain Hyuuga and the others, however, were stumped.

"But General, isn't that too disadvantageous for his highness?" Captain Hyuuga asked, glancing at Kuroko a little warily.

Akashi looked over at Kuroko, who only tilted his head in confusion. "I'll do my best?" He said, unsure how else to reply.

"Worry not, you'll see for yourselves." Akashi said finally, instructing Kuroko to start the game. They watched as he disappeared into the dense shrubbery.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Barely ten minutes had gone by when Akashi found Kuroko sitting underneath the shade of an oak tree near the bank of a narrow, glimmering river. Though secretly delighted to see his beloved, Kuroko couldn't help but feel a little upset at how easily the redhead managed to pinpoint his location. It was uncanny, really.

"To be fair, I won't do anything just yet." Akashi said with a calculating smile. "Otherwise it wouldn't be interesting."

Unable to help the pout that plastered itself on his face, Kuroko offered nothing but a curt nod. Akashi held onto the temptation of wanting to kiss Kuroko's inviting lips and stepped back with a chuckle, bidding a temporary farewell.

When Akashi left, something about the crunching of leaves and twigs underneath his boots compelled Kuroko's gaze to chase after his retreating figure. He felt a tightening in his chest, having associated the familiar broad back with one too many painful memories in the past. Before he even realised, he was already on his feet chasing after him.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, slightly startled at the arms that suddenly snaked around his midsection.

Kuroko buried his face in the crook of Akashi's shoulder, feeling the tight feeling in his chest subside.

"You won't go anywhere again, will you, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked in a whisper, unable to catch his voice. His heart beat wildly for what seemed like a long moment of silence.

"I'm not going anywhere." Akashi replied evenly, laying his hand over Kuroko's. "At least not without you, Tetsuya."

"…That's a promise."

"Of course, love." Akashi responded, allowing Kuroko to finally unwrap his arms. With a small smile, Akashi turned around and pressed a chaste kiss to Kuroko's forehead before he disappeared through the bushes.

Kuroko turned on his heel and walked back to his previous hiding spot, only to stop dead in his tracks when a familiar voice rung throughout the rustling leaves.

 _"Shin-chan, I'll go look over here!"_

Despite his natural invisibility to the average person, Takao had a keen eye that few people possessed. With graceful calm, Kuroko ducked down underneath an underpass of vines and lightly stepped through the mulch of grass in the other direction. Takao walked the other way, his sharp eyes darting around tirelessly. He was safe, for now.

"Ah, I found him!"

Standing a distance away amongst the tree trunks was a person whom Kuroko recognised as Shun Izuki from Seirin. Almost immediately, all the members of Seirin, Yōsen and Shūtoku were present. Akashi and others were nowhere to be seen.

"Guess I have no choice." Kuroko mumbled quietly under his breath, calmly calculating his gaze. Carefully, he glanced over his left shoulder and saw Kise and Murasakibara approaching in his peripheral vision.

"Found you, Kuro-chin~"

"Oh, Kurokocchi! It's us—wah!" Kise ducked to dodge the pebble that flew over his head.

The split second distraction utilising Kise's presence was more than enough to cover his escape from the centre. Knowing that he was mostly powerless on his own, Kuroko locked his attention on a slow-approaching Aomine as his first target. With ease, he slipped behind a tree and casually walked out from behind, chucking a small pinecone down the back of Aomine's shirt.

With a startled yell and a mumbled curse, Aomine swore gibberish at a deadpanning Kuroko.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko said with a small smile, "As I require a partner to be my light, I thought it just had to be Aomine-kun."

Though initially genuinely taken aback, Aomine's expression morphed into the widest grin anyone had ever seen on him in a long, long time. Without another word, he raised his fist and held it out in front of Kuroko.

"Alright, so who's next? Kise?"

"Yes." Kuroko raised his fist and lightly bumped it against Aomine's.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

At approximately an hour into the pseudo battle simulation, the balance tipped in Kuroko's favour. With all of Unit One and Two gathered together with Kuroko and his masterful misdirection tactics, the other handful of divisions were quick to fall victim.

Standing in the middle of a clearing surrounded by Kuroko's team was Takao, Hyuuga, Izuki and Furihata. Each passing second sent a tense shiver down their spine, their feet gradually stepping back further and further.

"Hyuuga, this doesn't look good."

"Shut up, Izuki. I'm trying to think."

Trembling like a deer cornered in a lion's den, Private Furihata took another tentative step backwards until he bumped into Hyuuga's back.

"W-w-what are we going to do, Hyuuga-senpai?"

Everyone stood quietly on edge, ready to lunge in attack at any given moment – all they needed was a signal. However, instead of motioning for the others to attack, Kuroko wordlessly stepped forward and brandished a dagger from a strap hidden underneath the low of his shorts.

"Kuroko-sama?" Hyuuga called out a little sceptically, dropping his body into a neutral defend-attack position.

Kuroko stepped forward once more, his face stoic and devoid of emotion. "Please," He said softly, pausing when a strong breeze howled over his words. "Call me casually. On the field, we are all equals."

"Understood." Hyuuga said with a curt nod, glancing over at Izuki and Furihata with another nod.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kuroko's face, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. He unsheathed the dagger and crouched forward, ready to lunge forward.

"I hope we get along well—" Kuroko uttered, a mysterious glint shining in his eyes as he stepped forward, instantly vanishing from sight. "—Hyuuga-san." He whispered right into the shell of Hyuuga's ear.

Hyuuga's eyes widened impossibly, a bead of sweat running down his forehead in inexplicable terror. While Furihata only jumped away in surprise and fear, Izuki and Takao stood wide-eyed, dumfounded.

"Wha—! How did he get behind us…?" Izuki muttered, perplexity shaking all his rational thoughts. Takao grinned hesitantly behind him, shaken up; he prided himself on his hawk-like vision, but even these eyes of his couldn't determine what just occurred.

"Himuro-san." Kuroko called out slightly louder, glancing over at the tall raven-haired man standing by the clearing edge.

"I'm on it, Kuroko-kun!" He responded, motioning for his Yōsen team to move into an offensive position.

Kuroko called out for Major Mibuchi and his team to move out too, effectively cornering the remaining four men with no possible escape route.

"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding me!" Takao shouted incredulously, desperately searching for a slip or opening.

"You have nowhere to run, Takao." Midorima said with his head raised high, a small smirk adorning his lips.

In a flurry of movement, yells and abrupt clashing of weapons, the four ended up joining Kuroko's side. The game wasn't over yet though – not without Akashi still roaming around somewhere. Kise was the first to voice this, suggesting they split up to search for the general.

"No, it would be wise to stick together." Kuroko interrupted, stopping Kise from moving away. "Splitting our numbers won't increase our chances of defeating Akashi-kun. We must work together here if we wish to win."

Everyone nodded in agreement, somewhat hesitant in the mere notion of crossing weapons with the terrifying redhead, their leader. At that moment, the trees in the near distance rustled loudly.

"And do you really think you'll be able to defeat me like that?" Akashi said as he stepped into the clearing, his voice laced with an arrogant amusement. With conditioned reaction, many tensed involuntarily at the sound of the familiarly dangerous, velvety voice.

"If there's a chance, we will." Kuroko responded easily, eyes fixed with a determined gaze.

His words fell short from the truth only moments later, with almost every single person on the verge of passing out on the forest floor. Kuroko's chest heaved with laboured breaths, sweat rolling down his forehead. Though barely, he remained standing.

"That wasn't a bad attempt, but you'll have to try harder than that." Akashi said with a smirk, barely out of breath; barely warmed up.

"It's… not over yet." Kuroko said, barely managing to catch his breath. Although, he knew that defeating Akashi was but a miniscule, slim chance.

"It looks like your stamina training has paid off, Tetsuya. However…" Akashi stepped around a groaning Nebuya and paced forward until he was suddenly standing with his face a mere inch away from Kuroko's.

Kuroko swallowed nothing but air, his electrified body unwilling to move. It was only when Akashi leaned in to peck his lips did his legs give out and crumble beneath him.

 _"…game over."_

 **.**

 **.**

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 **Expedition Departure: D-2**

"Thank you very much, Momoi-san. It fits perfectly."

Kuroko glanced down at his uniform clad body, delighted and in awe despite the indifference written all over his face. He looked back up at the pink-haired tailor and smiled, expressing his heartfelt gratitude and happiness.

"Um, T-Tetsu-kun—!" Momoi said in a squeak, her face blooming into a bright red hue. "I want you to take this.

She handed him a neatly folded, pink handkerchief with the initials 'K.T' embroidered in the corner. Kuroko gratefully accepted it with both hands, responding with a curious gaze.

"It's not much, but I want you to keep it." She explained, meeting his gaze shyly. "I can't go with you on the expedition, but I'll be providing support from headquarters. Promise you'll take care of yourself and everyone else, Tetsu-kun."

With a smile from the bottom of his heart, Kuroko held the handkerchief close to his chest. "Thank you. I promise, Momoi-san."

"…N-n-no problem!" She stuttered, bright red. "A-Ah! I've already told Akashi-kun about completing your uniform, so you should go show him later!"

Later that evening after dinner at Akashi's house, Kuroko did just that. It ended with him being pinned against the wall as Akashi stared down at him hungrily in appreciation.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Expedition Departure D-1**

Everything was in place and in control. The Supreme Commander was back on the job with his loyal advisor by his side, and the chain of command had been tactfully shifted to replace the gaping hole left in wake of Akashi's near departure.

Everyone had written their wills and said what could be their final goodbyes.

The day was filled with an unnatural, stagnant tension that only grew with intensity into the night. Akashi too, was not spared from this suffocating atmosphere. Cooped up in his office to wrap up his work once and for all, Akashi found himself on the clock late into the night when all was quiet.

There was a knock at the door, and before he could question who would visit at such an ungodly hour, a familiar tuft of blue hair peeked through.

"Akashi-kun, are you still working?" Kuroko asked, his voice laced with concern as he stood awkwardly in the doorway. He wore nothing but a light robe over his sleeping garments.

"Tetsuya, why are you still awake?" Akashi responded in alarm, filing away the last of his work as he stood to embrace his lover.

"I couldn't sleep so I stepped out to get some fresh air. I didn't think Akashi would still be in his office, though." He replied, voicing only the truth.

Akashi responded with a tired, but thoughtful look. Releasing Kuroko from his hold, he motioned for him to step outside as he switched off the lights and locked the door behind him.

"I had some work to finish, but that's all done now." Akashi said, leading them hand in hand down the hall to Kuroko's quarters. When Kuroko realised the direction they were going in, he stopped and tugged at Akashi's hand to stop.

"Akashi-kun, I…" Kuroko hesitated, a rare display of shyness overtaking his usual stoic façade. His cheeks bloomed into a brilliant shade of pink.

Akashi urged him to continue with utmost patience; his mind and body was having a hard time holding back at the direct assault.

"I seem to have trouble falling asleep on my own." Kuroko confessed, tiptoeing to gaze up at Akashi. "I need you by my side, Akashi-kun. I can't sleep unless it's with you."

Having suddenly lost his ability to form a comprehensible reply, Akashi felt his heart ache at the overwhelming feeling of happiness that welled inside. Whether it was the happiness, surprise or sheer love and joy he felt at that moment, the feeling was so strong and so profound that he almost felt the foreign urge to cry.

"I'm all yours, Tetsuya." He whispered after a while, holding Kuroko flush against his chest. "Forever and always."

He felt a familiar prickle of pain at the thought of their arduous, uneasy future ahead, but promptly decided it didn't matter at that very moment. Nothing did.

.

.

.

 **Expedition Departure: D-Day**

Their farewell ceremony was small and quiet, but rich with raw emotion. They left the city gates in a trove of military vehicles early in the morning, before the first light of day made itself known to the darkened land.

What lay in wait for them beyond the safety of the outermost city gates was an endless stretch of repetitive, dull scenery. There was no distinction between left and right or north and south; dust, decay and debilitated buildings scattered the horizon. The vehicle would rattle every so often, a jerking motion that seemed as if they had driven over a large bump in the road.

If the lifeless body rolling away in the distance was any indication, then it most definitely was not a simple bump in the road.

Willingly riding in a vehicle with the members of Seirin, Kuroko found himself welcoming the contemplative silence until Private Furihata reeled back from the window with a startled gasp. Hyuuga glanced over the brunet's shoulder and narrowed his eyes, promptly turning away.

"It's best not to look, Kuroko-sama."

Despite the biting urge to fix the way he was addressed, Kuroko only nodded and averted his attention to striking a conversation with the timid brunet soldier sitting across from him.

 **.**

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* * *

 _Author's note;_

 _Aside from underestimating my uni workload, the original document for this chapter literally just disappeared into nowhere. I might have gone a little too fast from D-5 to D-Day, but I have no intention of revising it a third time. Thank you for reading another chapter, the next one is already halfway completed so it'll be up real soon!_


	14. Chapter 14

**_Tantalising Cacodemons_**

 _The noble Akashi Family of the Teikō Empire reigns over the crippled lands of a once prosperous modern society. Fearless and dignified, General Seijuurō Akashi will stop at nothing to achieve his goals; to purge the rampant D-Virus from destroying the world and to unite all nations under the Teikō Empire – all for the sake of one man; for the crown prince, Tetsuya Kuroko._

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

"I'm sure you've heard about it too, Kuroko. Apparently he was part of Unit Two before he got stationed at the first checkpoint!" Private Furihata said quite animatedly, "Isn't that right, Hyuuga-senpai?"

A little unnerved at how easily Furihata and Kuroko were getting along after mere hours, Hyuuga only nodded in response, earning a quiet chuckle from their driver, Izuki.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to answer your questions when we see him at the next checkpoint." He suggested simply, changing the topic to something he found a little more interesting – that is, Kuroko's relationship with Akashi and his aides.

Approximately five hours had passed into their journey on the road, and just as Kuroko found himself conversing with Captain Hyuuga and the others comfortably, their vehicle came to a sudden, lurching halt. The tires screeched against the road as everyone was thrown forward from their seats – Kuroko muffled a quick apology when he collided headfirst into Furihata's unsuspecting back.

"What's going on?" Hyuuga asked quickly, fixing his glasses.

"They've surrounded us…" Izuki replied, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. "Ten… no, twelve of them."

Kuroko climbed forward to get a clear view from the front window. Teetering and tottering towards them without preamble was a group of infected men and women, all sporting grotesque wounds and bloodied faces. Though he had seen a long-term infected being up close on multiple occasions, something about the look of despair and hopelessness in their eyes sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"What about the other vehicles?" Someone in the back asked, only to be answered by the static buzz of the communication device at the front. The other vehicles, Kuroko noticed, had also stopped in front of them.

 _'All troops remain inside their vehicle until further notice. Turn off your engines immediately. I repeat, turn off your engines immediately.'_

Reassured by Akashi's command, they remained seated as the infected beings slowly limped forward closer and closer. Some stopped halfway with a groan and turned away in the other direction and some others simply followed suit.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Kuroko quietly moved out of his seat to check the situation outside. When the remaining handful of infected beings lost interest and moved away, Izuki heaved a sigh of relief from beside him. And just as Kuroko stepped down to move back to his seat, something in the far distance caught his attention.

"Izuki-san, something's coming." Kuroko said in a whisper, narrowing his eyes to try and make out the figure. With a nod, Izuki narrowed his eyes and concentrated on the fast approaching figure in the distance.

"This is bad!" He said, a little panicked. "That one's a newly infected, and he's coming straight for—!"

An ear-piercing, demonic wail roared outside, reverberating dangerously close to their vehicle. The communication device buzzed with incoming static, but before Akashi's voice could even come through, Izuki cried out with a strangled yelp.

"Get down—!"

The front window imploded, showering the interior of the vehicle with thousands upon thousands of fine shards of glass that cut through the seats like razors. Flecks of blood spattered across the windows in the driver's seat as a battered body hurtled through the gaping hole in the front.

Having moved on pure instinct, Kuroko peered up from his position on the floor and stared at the carnage, eyes wide with horror. An infected being lay splayed out over the front seat, his limbs popped out of their sockets and bleeding profusely as shards of glass pierced and splintered through the bulging veins of his pasty white skin.

'L-let me… in… let…me…in.. _nnnaaaaargh_ —!"

Amidst the horrified screams and startled yelps resounding throughout their trashed vehicle, Kuroko met eyes with the man in a direct gaze. Beyond the glazed hue of the demonic, crazed eyes was a distinct look of betrayal and anger. The man, he noticed, was wearing an identical double-breasted military coat, only black with less embellishment.

 _"Get out of the car, now!"_

Kuroko barely registered Aomine's strong voice cutting through the chaos; everything suddenly slowed down and moved in a snail-paced blur. To the right of his vision, Akashi was heading towards him – his mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't make out the words. To the left of his vision was Captain Hyuuga and Furihata, a panic-stricken look painted on their faces as they extended their arms, reaching out for his own.

His own arms and legs felt like leaden weight under the piercing stare of the infected being inching towards him on its broken, twisted limbs.

 _'Why won't you let me in?'_

He could hear a voice in his head – a voice that wasn't his own.

 _'Why are you doing this to me… stop! I'm not infected!'_

He could hear the raw anguish and desperation; he could feel the foreign despair slowly seeping into his heart. Suddenly, he could see a door – an impenetrable steel door that stood tall, looming and imposing. Imprinted into the centre was a code reading 'N-IX46'.

 _'Let me in, let me in, let me in—'_

He could feel his right arm pulling itself up; he could see it moving and it felt so, so foreign. With his hand curled into a tight fist, he watched as an almost alien-like force pulled it back and launched it forward.

"—Tetsuya!"

The infected being disappeared before his eyes, crashing through the side window as its limp, battered body flew outside and hurtled across the ground. Standing in its wake with his bloodied katana was Akashi, his white coat fluttering in the wind as he barked out orders to the men standing around outside.

With a heaving gasp, Kuroko felt as if he had been pulled from the suffocating depths of the ocean. Time sped up into its usual pace and all at once, he could hear nothing but the ragged breaths of his own heavy breathing. He dropped his fist, belatedly realising he was mere centimetres away from punching the being bare handed.

"I've got you now, Tetsuya." Akashi whispered, wrapping his arms around Kuroko's trembling frame. "It's okay, love. I've got you. Everything's alright."

"…He was one of ours, Akashi-kun." Kuroko whispered in reply, his gaze blank. "He was a soldier stationed up ahead. We can't go there anymore…"

Confused, Akashi pulled away to look at Kuroko. "Did he tell you this?"

Kuroko gripped the front of Akashi's shirt and shook his head, unable to stop the shaking wracking his body. An unnatural sadness welled up inside his chest, but he already knew it didn't belong to him. These tumultuous feelings weren't his.

"The checkpoint up ahead is no good, Akashi-kun." He whispered quietly, voice hoarse.

Akashi remained silent for a few contemplative seconds until he swept Kuroko back into his arms, kissing the crown of his head. Fluidly, he pulled Kuroko out of the destroyed vehicle and entrusted him to a concern-stricken Kise and Takao.

"Shintarou, send scouts to the checkpoint up ahead. There is to be no contact whatsoever, I want an immediate report."

"On it."

Akashi turned to the rest of the group and directed their gaze to the battered vehicle beside them. Without another word, they moved along and carried out the undamaged heap of supplies.

 **.**

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 **.**

When Kuroko awoke, it was to the warmth of Akashi's chest. For a brief moment, his heart rate picked up as he recalled what had transpired with the infected soldier. The calming quality of Akashi's hushed voice, however, quickly calmed his nerves. _That's right_ , he reminded himself, he was safe with Akashi.

"The vehicle we left behind was a loss, but not unforeseen. I will have it replaced at the next available checkpoint."

"Are we just going to ignore the first one then, Akashi?" Midorima asked evenly.

"Considering that our original plan was to refuel at the first checkpoint, then yes, for now we will head straight for the second checkpoint and resupply there…"

Slowly slipping back into a sleepless daze, Kuroko snuggled into the warmth as Akashi's arms tightened reassuringly around his body.

 **.**

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 **.**

Akashi opened his eyes when he felt the weight in his arms shift around. Glancing down, he saw Kuroko staring up at him with bleary, sleep-hazed eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Akashi murmured softly, planting a chaste kiss on the blue locks.

Aside from Murasakibara who sat at the wheel, everyone else had drifted off into a light doze. Kuroko rubbed his eyes and sat up, mumbling a quiet 'fine' before leaning in to peck Akashi on the lips. Akashi couldn't help the smile that plastered itself onto his lips – a sleepy Kuroko was always an adorably honest Kuroko.

"We're almost at our next stop. Get some more rest while you can." He said, but Kuroko only shook his head and moved off Akashi's lap.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko said after a while, staring down at the palm of his hand. He looked as if he had more to say, so Akashi waited but nothing came after that.

Akashi already knew why Kuroko was apologising so he didn't bother asking, especially not when it wasn't in his nature to half-heartedly coddle someone. Instead, he recalled the certainty in Kuroko's words when he warned them not to advance to the first checkpoint. The scouts came back visibly distressed; Kuroko had been right, the first checkpoint was overrun by infected soldiers and was completely out of commission.

"How much do you know?"

Looking back in curiosity through the rear-view mirror, Murasakibara noticed the somewhat solemn look on Akashi's face as he waited for a response. Kuroko spoke without looking up from his hands.

"I'm not entirely sure either, I just heard it." He said, "I could hear his innermost thoughts, he was crying for help the entire time."

Everything had felt too real, too raw. The feeling of betrayal, sadness and anger had welled up inside of him all too easily and it still felt so foreign to his own heart.

"He was locked out… before he was ever infected. Something must've gone wrong."

Akashi furrowed his brows, trying to digest the information in a way that would paint a clear picture inside his head. He wanted to believe Kuroko's words; he wanted to trust him, but it was difficult trying to piece together information that made close to no sense. Glancing around, he took hold of the tablet sitting next to Midorima and opened up the database.

"Was there anything else you noticed? Anything."

He flicked through a long list of all available military-owned bases, checkpoints and medical centres. Scrolling down a page containing photographs and details of the first checkpoint, he listened carefully as Kuroko suddenly told him about a door – a steel door with an engraved code.

"N-IX46."

It was there, at the very bottom of the page – entrance to the underground research laboratory, door serial number 946. However, the actual code was written as (N)-IX46 on the door itself. Akashi looked up, almost incredulous at Kuroko's accurate recollection. He almost asked 'how', but the word obliterated on the tip of his tongue when Kuroko gazed up at him with a tender sadness.

 _'I'm one of them.'_ Kuroko's gaze almost seemed to say, and it brought forth a strained silence.

Akashi felt his heart drop, reaching out to caress Kuroko's pale cheeks. He kept his touch gentle in hopes of eliciting a smile out of Kuroko, but he only received an averted gaze in reply. Biting back the strained words of apology that hung atop the tip of his tongue, he tossed the tablet aside and pulled Kuroko closer to his body.

This insatiable need to cling together, perhaps, was charged by their unspoken fear of losing the race against time.

 **.**

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Murasakibara cracked a yawn, blinking out the drowsiness as he drove into a wide forest path. According to the navigation system, they were only minutes away from the second checkpoint base and if the growing density of the shrubbery was a telltale sign, then it was most likely true. The vehicle rumbled and jostled along the uneven ground, easily waking everyone from their light slumbers.

"We're here."

He drove through an underpass of intertwining vines, followed by the remaining four vehicles behind him. A large underground tunnel greeted them with dim, flickering lights and blinking red sensors. An arched doorway made of titanium alloy stood in their path, shut tight without any indication of budging open.

"Aka-chin, the door won't open?" Murasakibara said, glancing back with a bored pout.

Akashi gently pushed aside a heavily sleeping Kuroko and stepped out of the vehicle, stopping in front of the arched door. To the right of it was a small keypad with a voice-recognition sensor.

"Seijuurō Akashi, requesting access."

 _'Voice recognition confirmed. Welcome, General Seijuurō Akashi.'_ The panel buzzed faintly before the doors slid open with a deep, grating groan. The vehicles drove through, and Akashi remained behind to observe their surroundings before entering the next tunnel.

They entered a large, sterile-white room with a single door surrounded by opaque glass panels. Each vehicle stopped near the tunnel entrance and all the expedition members stepped out to walk the rest of the way. Noticeably, the members of Seirin appeared the most distressed and distraught.

"Oh, this is a larger group than I expected."

Hyuuga and Izuki snapped their heads up so fast, it was a miracle they didn't pass out from the whiplash. Deciding he would give Seirin some much-needed reprieve, Akashi shooed the others away from their vehicle and spent the next few minutes languidly kissing the sleep out of his slumbering lover.

"Kiyoshi!" Hyuuga and Izuki shouted in unison, the former running up to punch the taller man in the gut while the latter opted to slap his back joyously.

"Ow, ow, ow! Guys, I'm happy to see you too but that really hurts." Kiyoshi said with a grin, slightly bent over from the impact of Hyuuga's unforgiving fist.

"We thought you were a goner, you dumbass!" Hyuuga shouted, small beads of tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Don't scare us like that!"

"Ah, I was actually here to deliver supplies when the first checkpoint was attacked." Kiyoshi replied, an apologetic smile adorning his lips as he ruffled the heads of a few other Seirin members rather fondly.

"About that, we'd like to hear that story too." Midorima interjected, breaking up the sappy little reunion without much guilt. Murasakibara, Himuro and Takao followed closely behind. Aomine and Kise were busy chatting with the other members at the back.

"Oh, Midorima! Murasakibara, too! Good to see you guys again." Kiyoshi said with a delighted expression, causing Murasakibara to turn away and scowl. Himuro softly chastised from behind.

"Likewise. Good to see you haven't died yet." Midorima replied with a little more biting sarcasm that he intended for. "Now, about the first checkpoint."

Kiyoshi opened his mouth to speak, but stopped halfway when a surprised look crossed his face. He glanced around the room for a few seconds before turning back to Midorima and Murasakibara.

"Come to think of it, where's Akashi? I'm sure he'll want to hear this too."

"Right here." Akashi responded, unabashedly walking towards them with his hand intertwined tightly with Kuroko's. Recognising Kuroko immediately, Kiyoshi's eyes widened in shock for a split second before he grinned in realisation.

"Well, let's not chat out here. Come inside, I'll introduce you to the other guys too."

 **.**

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 _A stumbling figure comes into view from the far right end of the screen. The uniform-clad soldier tumbles onto the ground gracelessly before he desperately claws against the tiles and scrambles away. Throughout the entire ordeal, he's thrown a glance back ten too many times._

 _Shards of glass fly out from behind almost in a chase. The soldier barely manages to get back onto his feet when an infected man viciously lunges at him from behind. His head falls back as his mouth opens in what appears to be a scream as blood splatters everywhere, painting the walls and tiles._

 _Then suddenly, a raven-haired man saunters over and towers over the dying soldier. Without an ounce of hesitation, the man kicks the infected being away and smashes his foot down onto the soldier's head. For a while there's no movement, then suddenly the raven-haired man walks away and glances up at the camera with an ugly, twisted grin._

 _The unsteady, blurry image of the security footage abruptly cuts off with the violent spasms of the convulsing soldier._

—Kiyoshi moved to play the next security camera footage but hesitated when he noticed a few rapidly paling faces in the group watching. Hyuuga too, looked as if he wanted to throw up on the spot, but his brows were tight and furrowed with determination to see it through. Furihata and his companions, however, looked ready to pass out.

"Most of the footage we managed to salvage is pretty much like this. In each one, the same guy appears near the end and leaves just like that." Kiyoshi explained, turning on the main monitor to bring up screenshots of the raven-haired man grinning at the camera. "Well, I'm sure you can tell who he is by now…"

"Hanamiya, that bastard." Nebuya growled, curling his fists into a tight fist to control his anger. Mibuchi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him down, grimacing at the images on the large screen.

"What was his purpose?" Himuro enquired, frowning.

Kiyoshi shook his head grimly, raising his shoulders to accentuate his lack of knowledge. Akashi had a fairly good idea of Hanamiya's overall revenge plot, but he couldn't quite pinpoint why the traitorous noble would attack such an insignificant area. The first checkpoint barely held anything worthwhile aside from its supplies and weapons.

"Pardon me, but could you please replay that footage once more at half speed?" Kuroko asked suddenly, eliciting a few questioning responses.

A little taken aback, Kiyoshi managed a nod before he reduced the speed setting and replayed the footage. Realising that Kuroko must've caught onto something noteworthy, Akashi followed his example and concentrated on the footage just as Hanamiya came into view from the ride side of the screen.

"Please pause here—!"

The footage paused just as Hanamiya stepped off the soldier to turn to the camera. Kuroko narrowed his eyes, studying the still image with an intensity Akashi had never once seen in his gaze before.

"Do you see anything?" Aomine asked Kise, receiving a straight out 'nope' from him.

"He was searching for something." Kuroko mumbled, his eyes glued on the screen. "This is only a hypothesis, but I don't think he was able to acquire what he was there for."

Akashi pieced the information together in his head as swiftly as he could, visualising outcomes of hypothetical situations. What would one need to search for in relation to a vengeance-driven plot? Even with all the victims they were subjecting to the D-Virus, what more were they seeking?

"Reo-nee, why's that guy trying to infect everyone?" Hayama said with furrowed brows, tilting his head to see if he could see a hidden picture of some sorts. "Please tell me he was kicked out for being a looney."

Suddenly, Kuroko gasped and reached out for the mouse, yanking it out from Kiyoshi's grasp with a curt apology. Kiyoshi moved out of his seat and moved to the side, bewildered and curious.

"Tetsuya?"

Kuroko brought up a blueprint of the first checkpoint on the main monitor and began replaying the security footage on double speed on the smaller screen, dutifully studying it carefully. Akashi looked between the two screens until he clued upon one variable that remained constant in every clip.

"All of these clips take place in the exact same area, only at different intervals. There is only a single elevator shaft at the end of the hallway, and presumably that would've been their destination." Akashi deduced, walking over to whisper something in Kuroko's ear. Kuroko nodded and swiftly brought up a cross-section blueprint map of the lower levels.

"Coincidentally or not, the basement is the only level with restricted access even on file." Kuroko explained, swivelling around in the chair to turn to the others. "I feel like we're misunderstanding something important."

"Kuroko-kun, you said that Hanamiya was searching for something before. Why do you say that?" Himuro asked.

Kuroko stared at him stoically for a few moments before he stood up from the chair.

"That's… slightly difficult to answer." He answered, quickly replaying the clip of Hanamiya turning to grin up at the camera. "Everyone has individual habits they display in response to different situations. Every subtle change in expression, demeanour and other cues give away immaculate clues on the individual's intentions and emotions."

"Tecchan specialises in human observation!" Takao added, albeit unhelpfully.

"I guess you could say that…?"

Kuroko walked away from the computer and offered a sincere apology to Kiyoshi, who only waved it off with a smile and compliment. Instead of sitting back down, he turned to Akashi inquisitively.

"Preferably, I'd rather we investigate this at a later date and move on, but there's something bothering me I wish to confirm." Akashi said finally, narrowing his eyes at the unpleasant image of Hanamiya's face.

"What do you suggest we do?" Midorima asked, readjusting his glasses in anticipation.

Akashi studied the members with a scrutinising gaze, unintentionally making them flinch and mentally cower under the intensity of his stare.

"First thing tomorrow morning before dawn, we will investigate the basement level of the first checkpoint." Akashi said, his tone of voice clear and commandeering. "The investigating team will consist of Lieutenant Kiyoshi, Unit Two and myself. Shintarou, I want you to take command here while I'm away."

"Wait, isn't that too small a team?" Kise asked, glancing over at the five members of Unit Two. Major Hayama grinned, supposedly proud to have been chosen over Unit One.

"No, before dawn is when _they_ are most inactive. A smaller team would be wiser to avoid unnecessary combat." Midorima supplied.

 **.**

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"Senpai, shouldn't we tell Kiyoshi-senpai about Riko-san…?" Private Kawahara asked hesitantly, glancing over at Kiyoshi who appeared to be engaged in a serious conversation with Akashi.

Izuki refrained from saying anything on the subject, turning to Hyuuga who turned away with a tired huff.

"The last thing he needs right now is a distraction to get himself killed tomorrow."

 **.**

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 **.**

There was nowhere near enough room in the basement's sleeping quarters to accommodate all the extra people. As a compromise, the expedition squad decided to camp out with their sleeping bags in different lounge areas.

"Kuro-chin and Aka-chin can share the spare room then." Murasakibara said once they were back in their vehicle retrieving supplies.

Standing to the side whilst waiting his turn, Kuroko appeared to be staring at the ground in a daze when Akashi turned to confirm the arrangement with him. Calling out his name once didn't appear to elicit any reaction, nor did a second attempt. Having garnered attention from their concerned companions, Akashi excused himself and stepped out to check up on Kuroko.

"Tetsuya, are you alright?" He tried a third time, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kuroko snapped his head up in surprise and stared at Akashi for a second before he mutely nodded, apologising for being lost in thought. Though unconvinced, Akashi let the matter go when Kuroko offered a sweet smile.

"Tetsu, I found your bag behind the seat!"

"Thank you, Aomine-kun. I'll be right there."

 **.**

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"Akashi-kun, please let me join you tomorrow morning."

Akashi held back a sigh, having expected such a request from his blue-haired lover. Though, it somehow sounded more like a demand than a request despite the gentle, polite tone. The logical half of his mind almost blurted out an instant refusal, but the better half reluctantly gave in.

"I suppose that can be arranged if you insist."

"Thank you, I do." Kuroko replied impassively, squeezing Akashi's hand in appreciation.

They walked down to the end of the narrow basement corridor and entered the spare room – it was bare save for a single bed, a mirror closet and a desk and chair. Not unlike a dutiful wife, Kuroko took Akashi's coat and hung it up in the closet before tending to himself.

Kuroko hung up his coat and began unbuttoning his shirt quite absent-mindlessly as he regarded the way Akashi's muscles rippled subtly with every moment. He wasn't outright ogling at his lover's marvellous body, but he wasn't quite simply observing either. He had seen Akashi undressed on multiple occasions, but it had never bothered him until they began dating.

"Like what you see?" Akashi teased playfully, a smirk slipping onto his features as he stripped off his white button-down shirt, revealing a perfectly chiselled expanse of toned, taut muscles.

Kuroko tried to play it indifferently, but the questionable heat raising his internal temperature spoke otherwise. So instead, he changed the topic as he stripped down to nothing but his unbuttoned white shirt and blue boxer briefs.

"You should get some rest, Akashi-kun."

Clad in nothing but his uniform trousers, Akashi sauntered over and tossed his clothes onto the desk before he towered over Kuroko and lifted his chin with a single finger.

"If Tetsuya gives me a massage, I might just consider it." He said, hovering his lips over Kuroko's, but not quite touching. Kuroko stared back at him defiantly, making no move to shorten the distance between their lips.

"Akashi-kun has been up since dawn. I doubt he needs that kind of service to help get some rest."

"That's right, I don't think I got my daily dose of Tetsuya today."

Kuroko half-expected Akashi to lean in and kiss him, but disappointingly, Akashi pulled away with a mischievous smile.

"But I guess I could give you some space, if you insist." Akashi said, turning to the closet.

Only a moment after he turned his back, however, Kuroko jumped up and wrapped his arms around Akashi's midsection, squeezing him tightly.

"…I never asked for you to go, Akashi-kun." Kuroko mumbled in defeat, his cheeks dusted a soft shade of pink.

Akashi chuckled and turned around, cupping Kuroko's face with his hands before he leaned in to press their lips together. He nipped at Kuroko's bottom lip gently before he began licking and sucking on it softly. Kuroko moaned, parting his lips to invite Akashi's tongue in. They remained standing as they kissed only until Kuroko felt his legs go weak.

"Shall we go to the bed?" Akashi whispered sultrily, gently pushing Kuroko down onto the soft mattress.

Akashi climbed on top and pecked Kuroko's swollen lips once more before he moved down and began peppering chaste kisses all over the expanse of Kuroko's bare neck and collarbones. Taking notice of how supple and inviting the pale skin looked, Akashi leaned down once more and created bright red love bites all over.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko enquired softly, his eyes glazing over with heated pleasure.

"Yes, love?" Akashi responded, licking his lips hungrily as he resisted the urge to move lower and lower.

Kuroko pushed Akashi off and sat up, straddling Akashi's lap. The redhead tilted his head with a smile and placed his hands on Kuroko's hips. Kuroko gazed up at Akashi shyly through hooded eyes, languidly kissing him chastely before moving down his neck. There was no hesitation when Kuroko latched onto a patch of skin and began sucking, creating one large love bite for all to see. Akashi raised a brow and gently traced the red patch of skin on his neck.

"Love, you do realise my clothes won't cover this?"

"Yes, that's the point." Kuroko responded unabashedly. He pulled Akashi down with him onto the bed and quite contently, snuggled into the crook of his neck. "Because Akashi-kun is mine."

Taken off guard by Kuroko's sudden rare display of possessiveness, Akashi was rendered speechless for a few seconds as they lay on the bed.

"I'm yours, Tetsuya. All yours." He replied eventually, planting a kiss on Kuroko's forehead.

They fell into a quiet lull as Akashi felt the day's exhaustion slowly take over his consciousness. As the sleep weighed down his eyelids and the room around him grew blurry and dark, all he could feel was the comforting warmth of Kuroko snuggled up against his body.

"Goodnight, Akashi-kun." Kuroko whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair from Akashi's eyes.

Just as he gave into the temptation of sleep, Akashi suddenly recalled Kuroko's strange disposition a short while ago. He would have to ask about that in the morning, but for now, all he wanted was to drift into the peaceful lull of a dreamless slumber.

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 _Author's note;_

 _The last part was really just an excuse for pointless AkaKuro action (because why the hell not). This chapter is actually around 5k words and might just be the longest chapter to date. Please let me know if you prefer shorter chapters (2k~3k words) with frequent updates or longer chapters (4k~5k words) with a slightly longer wait. Also, thank you to those who have reviewed previous chapters (it really makes my day so much better)!_

 _Thank you for reading another chapter, I'll be back with the next one real soon!_


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